The Premier's Council on Healthy Child Development released its first annual report today which highlights baseline data on the progress of Prince Edward Island children and a summary of Prince Edward Island initiatives to improve outcomes for children.
Premier Pat Binns received the report and acknowledged the important developmental work completed by the Council during its first year to support the Prince Edward Island healthy child development strategy.
"Research suggests repeatedly that the most effective way to build a strong and healthy society is to support our children during sensitive early learning and developmental periods," said Premier Binns. "Through the work of the Council, we are getting a much clearer idea of where we are and where we need to go to support the healthy development of our children, as governments and communities using current and credible research."
David Harper, Council Chair, acknowledged the dedication and commitment of the members of the Council, the Children's Secretariat, and the Children's Working Group.
"During our first year, a great deal of organizational work has been completed, including the establishment of working networks, relationships and linkages; the development of an inventory of current children's initiatives in the province; and the collection and sharing of a wealth of information to support the further development of the strategy," said Mr. Harper. "This work will have great value as we move forward with others to monitor and improve the progress of our children."
The report includes baseline data on how well PEI children are doing in terms of good health and success at learning.
On the positive side, Prince Edward Island has an excellent rate of birth weight which is a primary indicator of maternal health. PEI has one of the lowest rates of infant mortality in the country, which is considered a key measure of health in a society. PEI also has the lowest percentage of children in low income families in the country.
The report also indicates areas for improvement such as low rates of breastfeeding and high exposure of children to second-hand smoke. "These indicators provide encouragement for us to build on our partnerships within the strategy," said Mr. Harper. "For example, we will be continuing our work with the PEI Breastfeeding Coalition, which is seeing steady improvements in its efforts to promote breastfeeding as the ideal choice for infant feeding in the province, and the PEI Tobacco Reduction Alliance, which is also seeing improvements in the rates of children exposed to second-hand smoke through initiatives to promote smoke-free Island homes and vehicles."
Results of the "Understanding the Early Years" study to test success at learning, also released today, indicate that five-year-old children in Prince Edward Island are doing very well. Coordinated by the Early Childhood Development Association of Prince Edward Island, the report indicates that, on average, PEI children scored significantly higher in each area of development than children in several other research sites across Canada. Out of a possible score of 10, PEI children scored the following: physical health and well-being, 9.0; social knowledge and competence, 8.5; emotional health and maturity, 8.1; language and cognitive development, 8.3; and communication skills and general knowledge, 8.4.
"'Understanding the Early Years' is an important study, and I am very pleased that the province of Prince Edward Island has been an active participant from the start," said Premier Binns. "Knowledge that our children are doing well is no doubt a reflection of our strong Island communities. We look forward to working with communities to improve outcomes for children through our provincial healthy child development strategy."
The Premier's Council on Healthy Child Development annual report also highlights several federal/provincial/territorial initiatives implemented during the year to support families and communities in their efforts to ensure the best possible future for their children. During 2001-2002, federal funding through Canada's Early Childhood Development Initiative was allocated to fund PEI's publicly-funded community-based kindergarten ($500,000), early intervention services for children with autism ($720,000), and the provincial healthy child development strategy ($110,000).
The Premier's Council on Healthy Child Development will host the first annual Think Tank on Children November 19th at the Rodd Royalty Inn to bring representatives from communities and government together to identify directions for year two of the strategy.
Copies of the annual report of the Premier's Council on Healthy Child Development are available at Access PEI Centres, or by visiting the provincial government website at www.gov.pe.ca/hcd. More information can also be obtained by contacting the Children's Secretariat at 902 368 6517.