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Part 1 of the Report Card presents a league table of child well-being in 29 of the world's advanced economies. Part 2 looks at what children say about their own well-being (including a league table of children's life satisfaction). Part 3 examines changes in child well-being in advanced economies over the first decade of the 2000s, looking at each country's progress in educational achievement, teenage birth rates, childhood obesity levels, the prevalence of bullying, and the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs.

The Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) is an active member of various coalitions and networks working to enhance the well-being of Canadian children and youth, including the National Alliance for Children and Youth and Campaign 2000. Among CTF's priorities is to support teachers and teachers' organizations as strong advocates for social justice, with a particular focus on issues related to child poverty. Child poverty is a tragic and shameful fact of life in a nation as wealthy as Canada. The child poverty rate remains at 1989 levels, the year of the all-party House of Commons resolution to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000. According to Campaign 2000's 2008 report card on child and family poverty, "Canada has enjoyed more than a decade of strong economic growth yet child poverty is essentially the same, based on the latest data available, as it was in 1989... As Canada heads into a period of economic uncertainty, the most strategic decision the federal government could make would be to lower the poverty rate." The Canadian Teachers' Federation joins the call for political commitment to a national poverty reduction strategy for Canada. Parents should be able to provide an adequate living standard for their children--working together, governments can ensure that is possible. Strategies and policy recommendations that could have a positive impact on inequitable educational opportunities linked to family socio-economic status include: (1) political commitment to a national poverty reduction strategy for Canada; (2) an increased minimum wage; (3) an expansion of eligibility for Employment Insurance; (4) a major investment in social housing; (5) improved accessibility and affordability of post-secondary education and training; (6) the inclusion of child and youth services as part of federal/provincial/territorial agreements concerning immigrants and refugees; and (7) adequate funding for First Nation's child welfare agencies to deliver in-home support and prevention services to First Nation's children and their families. Specific strategies for ensuring all children are better provided for include: (1) a universal child care system providing dedicated funding for high quality care and early intervention and school-readiness initiatives for all children; (2) restrictions on the growth of for-profit corporate child care; and (3) support for school boards and relevant community agencies in their attempts to coordinate health, recreation, and social services at school sites. A list of sources and further reading is included.

In November The Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF), as part of the pre-budget consultation process, made a submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance. Entitled "Supporting Education... Building Canada: Child Poverty and Schools" the brief outlined why teachers saw child poverty as such an important issue to be addressed, and made recommendations on how to meet the challenge. The CTF members know as educators the impact that poverty has on their communities, their children, and their classrooms. When times were good they implored governments to take advantage of the good times, to address the needs they saw. What challenges will they face now? This paper presents an analysis of the parts of the budget that have the most likely impact on classrooms, teachers and their students.

The 2007/2008 Parents of Children with Severe Special Needs Survey is conducted to obtain opinions from parents of children with severe special needs to assess their satisfaction with key areas of the education system. A random sample of 816 parents of children with severe special needs completed the survey. Severe special needs descriptions include severe emotional/behavioral disability, severe physical or medical disability, ECS severe delay involving language, severe multiple disability, severe cognitive disability, deafness, and blindness. Other disabilities e.g., mildly or moderately disabled were not included in the survey. One appendix is included: (1) Survey Instrument. [This document was also produced by R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd.] (Contains 24 tables.)

This report builds and expands upon the analyses of Report Card No. 6 which considered relative income poverty affecting children and policies to mitigate it. Report Card 7 provides a pioneering, comprehensive picture of child well being through the consideration of six dimensions: material well-being, health and safety, education, family and peer relationships, subjective well-being, behaviours and lifestyles informed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and relevant academic literature.

Childhood and adolescent obesity rates have reached epidemic proportions in the United States and are growing. The sedentary routines found in schools and in the home as well as the overexposure to unhealthy snacks and nonnutritional foods contribute to the pervasiveness of this disease that afflicts America's children. Obese children face significant health risks such as Type 2 diabetes, tooth decay, and depression. This epidemic has significant implications for the public education and health sectors of the nation. In response, many federal and state policies have been implemented or are being initiated to address these concerns. This policy brief examines the scope of the childhood obesity epidemic in the U.S. and in the state of Indiana, considers the relationship between the school environment and student health, reviews policy initiatives underway to address this problem, and offer policy recommendations to more effectively address obesity in Indiana. (Contains 2 tables, 3 figures, and 47 endnotes.) [This report was published by the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy.]

This cross-cultural study tests a model of motivation on children's learning. Participating in the study are 805 Chinese students and 740 Canadian students. Students answered survey questions related to their perceptions of parents and teachers as well as their motivation orientations and the perceived level of control in learning; their homeroom teachers also provided a rating on their diligence and performance in school. The results showed that of the four types of motivation orientation tested, the identified type of motivation orientation is the important predictor for student's effort expenditure both in Taiwan and Canada. The results of the model testing showed a strong similarity between the Canadian and the Chinese in how children's motivation affects their academic outcome. Perceived Control is shown to have an all positive influence on student's academic outcome. However, autonomy as defined by student's motivation orientation appears to be a double-edged sword; although the total effect of autonomy on children's academic achievement is positive, the model shows that without the mediation of perceived control, a high level of autonomy can actually have a significant negative impact on student's achievement. (Author/GCP)

Studies of nearly a dozen welfare programs were reviewed to determine the effects of welfare policies on children and youth and to identify issues requiring consideration during reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. The following were among the key findings: (1) the school achievement of elementary school-age children are improved by welfare programs that increase both parental employment and income by providing earnings supplements to welfare recipients when they go to work; (2) programs that mandate participation in employment-related services typically increase parental employment but not income and have few short- or long-term effects on elementary school-age children; (3) although time-limited welfare programs can be implemented in ways that avoid widespread harm for elementary school-age children, the combination of earnings supplements with short time limits on welfare may reduce the positive effects that such supplements bring to children; (4) adolescents' school achievement and progress have been negatively affected by their parents' participation in both voluntary and mandatory programs promoting work and programs with and without time limits on benefit receipt; and (5) some evidence suggests that the observed negative effects on adolescents result from "child care problems" associated with maternal employment. (Contains 11 endnotes and 6 references.) (MN)

The experience of long-term poverty affects many child outcomes, in part through a family stress process in which poverty is considered to be one of the major factors causing family dysfunction, depression among caregivers and inadequate parenting. Recent scholarship extends the classical Family Stress Model by researching the ways in which neighbourhood contexts might mediate or modify these relationships. Neighbourhoods vary from the affluent to the economically deprived and since the long-term poor rarely live in well-off neighbourhoods, measures of neighbourhood disadvantage add little to family poverty in the prediction of child health and behaviour problems. But neighbourhoods also differ in the degree to which they are socially organized, cohesive and supportive to the enterprise of raising children. Sociologists refer to this as the "social capital" of neighbourhoods and propose that such social capital may ameliorate the effects of poverty and help parents raise children to achieve their full potential. This study reports the construction of measures related to social capital (Collective Efficacy and Social Support) at the neighbourhood, rather than the individual level, and the use of these along with a battery of census characteristics and other explanatory variables in the prediction of outcomes for longitudinal children aged 4 to 15 in the NLSCY [National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth]. The authors used statistical modeling to study the impact of higher or lower amounts of social capital in a national sample and in a smaller sample of some 200 neighbourhoods (as defined by census enumeration areas). The results support some aspects of an expanded family stress theory in that the effects of long-term poverty upon child outcomes are mediated, but also moderated by neighbourhood social capital, and by family "burnout" (dysfunction and parental depression). The study confirms previous research showing that certain parenting styles are strongly associated with children's health and behaviour problems, and that neighbourhoods account for small but significant proportions of the variation in child outcomes. An innovative result is that the degree to which long-term poverty impacts child outcomes varies according to the characteristics of neighbourhoods. The authors caution that their study cannot provide national estimates of the impact of neighbourhood social capital on child outcomes. A bibliography is included. (Contains 3 figures, 12 tables, and 30 footnotes.) [This paper is available in French under the title: "La pauvrete, le capital social, les competences parentales et les resultats des enfants au Canada."

Provides an overview of the Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program in the Beechville-Lakeside-Timberlea Community. Focuses on program development, including the needs assessment and description of programs designed to meet specific needs of students, program evaluation, staff training, and community involvement. Illustrates how the program takes on the challenge of meeting the needs of the whole person in children and adolescents. (Contains 18 references.) (GCP)

There is growing acknowledgement that optimal early childhood development is crucial not only for health, well-being, and competence but also for society at large. This second paper in a series focuses on the period from birth to age 6 and draws on research from Canada and other countries to address several questions of children's development, including the following: (1) What are the known threats to young children's optimal development?; (2) Which types of targeted programs promote the development of vulnerable children and under what circumstances?; and (3) To what extend is the current approach to targeting early childhood programs consistent with what we know about what is required to promote young children's development? The paper discusses research evidence from evaluations of three categories of programs intended to promote development of at-risk children: child-focused programs, parent-focused programs, and two-generation programs. The research evidence examined clearly demonstrates that the most effective way of enhancing the development of at-risk children is through center-based, group programs. The research evidence shows that the development of at-risk children is not promoted by programs that are solely parent-focused or by two-generation programs. Following an executive summary, the paper's chapters are: (1) "Supporting the Development of Canada's Children; (2) "Identification of Vulnerable Children"; (3) "Targeted Child-Focused Programs"; (4) "Targeted Parent-Focused Programs"; (5) "Two-Generation Programs"; (6) "Universal Programs"; and (7) "Policy Implications." (Contains 232 references.) (HTH)

The issue of integrating work and family responsibilities has been the subject of federal, provincial, and territorial policy planning and several task forces in Canada. This report plus executive summary, designed to inform the dialogue and stimulate continued discussion, brings together a wide variety of work-life facts and figures related to changes in the family; child and elder care; labor force participation patterns; income and earnings; industrial, organizational, and workplace change; labor legislation; and public opinion. Following a foreword discussing factors contributing to mounting tensions between work and non-work lives, the compendium is divided into 10 sections: (1) "The Changing Profile of the Labour Force"; (2) "The Changing Profile of the Family"; (3)"Income, Earnings, and Financial Security"; (4) "Industrial and Organizational Change"; (5) "Work Structure and Work Time"; (6) "Child Care and Caregiving for Other Family Members"; (7) "Work-Life Issues and the Employee"; (8) "Work-Life Issues and the Employer"; (9) "Labour Legislation and Other Protections for Workers with Family Responsibilities"; and (10) "Attitudes and Public Opinion." Each section begins with a brief introduction followed by a series of key findings and sources for citation or additional reading. A subject index facilitates searching for topics falling under several sections. The studies presented in the compendium reveal that work-life conflict is increasing and that work-life issues affect individuals, families, and organizations. Further, work-life conflict is not limited to parents. Most Canadian employees do not have access to flexible work arrangements that might help them cope with growing work-life tensions. There is growing evidence that providing supportive and flexible workplaces benefits organizations. (Contains 78 footnotes.) (KB)

This document presents a policy framework designed to foster action to prevent child victimization and the likelihood that children living in high risk situations will engage in adolescent and/or later life criminal behavior. It applies to children ages 0 to 12 years. Eight sections include: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Policy Background" (a focus on early intervention and models of prevention: transforming knowledge into action); (3) "The Role of the National Strategy on Community Safety and Crime Prevention"; (4) "Key Policy Concerns" (key challenges and optimal points of intervention); (5) "Guiding Principles" (e.g., focus on children and families living in conditions of multiple risk and engage children and families in the process); (6) "Goals and Objectives" (foster community action and promote conditions that will prevent childhood victimization and early onset of criminal behavior); (7) "Components" (public awareness and education, comprehensive strategies and models, tools and resource development, and research and knowledge development); and (8) "Funding Overview." Two appendixes present data on crime prevention and childhood experiences, situations, and potential adverse consequences, and factors that contribute to positive outcomes for children and youth. (SM)

The Student Health Initiative is a joint initiative of the Canadian provincial government partners of Education, Health, Family, and Social Services; the Alberta Mental Health Board; the Child and Family Services Secretariat; and Community Development. The initiative is designed to strengthen the capacity to deliver health and related support services to children with special health needs registered in school programs. This document summarizes funding information and outlines student health initiative principles and joint service planning as well as annual reporting requirements. Part 1 describes the Student Health Initiative, including the purpose of the program, the principles for the program's operation, and the partnership. Part 2 outlines procedures for accessing funding and details eligible (and ineligible) service categories, types of eligible services, eligible service providers, eligible (and ineligible) costs. Part 3 details the required components of the joint service plan, development and submission procedures, support documents, and review and approval procedures. Part 4 describes the joint annual report, including the required components, development and submission procedures, and the review process. Six appendices include required components of the joint service plan, relevant forms, and acknowledgments. (KB)

The quality of indoor lighting can influence task performance, social interaction and communication, health and safety, visual comfort, student behavior, and aesthetic judgments. These by-products of lighting are examined in this literature review in an effort to define the conditions that are associated with good lighting quality. Lighting quality has been debated among lighting professionals for two decades but with little advancement due to a lack of reliable empirical evidence. Since economic considerations have driven much lighting research, most investigations have focused on lighting for offices. This literature review focuses on office lighting applications, although lighting in other settings, such as schools, is also considered. The review begins with research on the luminous environment, including its influence on social interaction and communication (i.e., findings reveal that higher luminance induced female students to communicate more). Other studies found that both male and female university students rated higher illuminance more favorably than low illuminance, yet such illuminance had no effect on self-reported stress, well-being, or fatigue. Other areas investigated include daylight, luminance distribution and illuminance uniformity across rooms, preference judgments, discomfort, and visual display terminals. Contains approximately 175 references. (RJM)

This paper investigates the real living standards and poverty status of U.S. children in the 1990s compared to the children in 17 other nations, including Europe, Scandinavia, Canada, and Australia. The analysis is based on the Luxembourg Income Study database. It was found that American children have lower real spendable income than do comparable children in almost every other nation studied. In contrast, high income U.S. children are far better off than their counterparts in other nations. Persistently high child poverty rates were also found in the United States when compared with other nations. Demographic factors and the effectiveness of tax and transfer policies in reducing child poverty are also explored, and the paper concludes with a discussion of results and their policy implications. An appendix presents two tables of countries studied and poverty figures. (Contains 3 text tables, 8 figures, and 28 references.) (Author/SLD)

An exploratory study of the refugees in the Toronto (Ontario, Canada) public school system examined: (1) their situation, including their numbers and distributions, countries of origin, demographic characteristics, and challenges and needs at school; (2) how teachers and other school staff deal with the situation, and the kinds of difficulties they have encountered; and (3) ways to help teachers, schools and the school system meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of newly arrived refugees. Nineteen bilingual interviewers interviewed 135 refugee students and 60 refugee parents representing 7 different language groups. Data from student registration files, focus groups, and observations of Local School Team meetings supplemented the interviews to give a picture of the refugee population that, by late 1994, made up almost 10 percent of the city's public school student population. In some inner-city schools, refugees constituted as much as a quarter of the population. Most refugee students were adolescents or young adults, but there were nearly 3,000 refugee children in the Toronto schools in 1994. These students come from very diverse backgrounds, and their needs are complicated by social and emotional factors associated with being refugees. Many are in a disadvantaged position academically. School staff in general do not feel adequately prepared to help these students. The final chapter of this report offers suggestions for providing better information for school staff and for refugees and their families, for developing whole-school approaches to refugee needs, and for making better use of the facilities and services now available. Seven appendixes contain interview and focus group protocols and an observation guide. (Contains 11 figures, 4 tables, and 40 references.) (SLD)

Education is part of a complex and dynamic system in which family, social, economic, and other factors have a tremendous influence on students. This environmental scanning report for Alberta, Canada is intended to draw attention to societal trends and issues that may be relevant to educators and to disseminate information that will support educational planning and decision making. The report is organized into three sections. Section 1, "Demographic Profile," covers: (1) population characteristics; (2) youth mobility; (3) fertility/mortality; and (4) aboriginal children. Section 2, "Childhood," discusses: (1) children and families; (2) child care; and (3) children at risk. The third, and final, section, "Adolescence," reports on: (1) values, attitudes and issues; (2) time use patterns; (3) labor force participation; (4) sexual activity; (5) youth crime; (6) substance abuse; and (7) transition to adulthood. Highlights of the findings reported include the following: (1) youth aged 0-19 as a percentage of Alberta's population is declining; (2) the rate of child poverty in Alberta was 19.8 percent in 1993; and (3) teen pregnancies have been falling since 1991 in Alberta. Contains 11 data tables and 29 references. (AJH)

This document details Canada's mission to safeguard and improve the health and well-being of all Canadian children and youth and presents eight national goals through which Canada plans to fulfill that mission. The document is presented in three parts. Part 1 describes the development of national goals, including their origin in the underlying principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, a consideration of a broad view of child and adolescent health, the responsibility of federal governments acting on behalf of the public, the 4-year consultation process used to develop the goals, and the results of reviews by aboriginal communities in Canada. Part 2 of the document details eight national goals: (1) value all children and youth in Canada and share responsibility for their healthy development; (2) support families in their role as the primary caregivers of children; (3) make health promotion and prevention of disease, disability, and injury among children and youth a priority of healthy public policies; (4) reduce child and youth poverty; (5) protect children and youth from abuse, violence, inequity, and discrimination; (6) ensure that young people have opportunities to participate in decisions about their healthy development and encourage them to make healthy life choices; (7) strengthen the capacity of communities to promote and improve healthy child and youth development; and (8) develop collaborative, cost-effective strategies to achieve measurable improvements in health outcomes for children and youth. Part 3 of the document describes initiatives at the community, provincial, and federal levels to meet these national goals. (KB)

Drawing from existing data and a survey of each provincial or territorial child care office in Canada, this report provides a profile of child care services in each province and territory, and in the country as a whole. Each provincial profile includes information on: (1) relevant legislation; (2) the name and address of the provincial official responsible for child care; (3) types of child care services available; (4) services for children with special needs; (5) aboriginal child care; (6) provincial demographics, including data on mothers in the work force, children identifying with an aboriginal group, and children with disabilities; (7) family-related leave; (8) regulated child care spaces; (9) standards and regulations governing regulated centers and regulated family day care; (10) funding through grants and subsidies; (11) administration; (12) municipal role; (13) child care planning and development; (14) the history of child care in the province; and (15) recent developments. Twenty-one tables provide a national perspective on child care. The paper concludes with a 51-item list of further readings. (AC)

By the age of 4, children typically have separate schema for relating events in the physical world and for relating events to associated mental states. Generally, these schema cannot be coordinated until around 6 years of age, when the ability to use them together yields a structure for assigning intentionality. This intentional structure develops until by adolescence the capacity exists for interpreting personal/character traits and history. These social structures develop throughout early and middle childhood and adolescence and are subject to societal processing constraints. To determine variations in development across cultural and class lines, a comparison was undertaken of performance in story composition and identification by middle socio-economic status (SES) children in Canada, the United States, and Japan and low-SES children in North America. While little difference was found in central social structure for the middle-SES groups in the three countries, low-SES group performance on tasks measuring central intentional structure was considerably below that of the middle-SES subjects. This difference might stem from differences between middle and low SES parent language usage, with middle groups using questions to have children display known information (similar to standard classroom questioning) and treating events in a decontextualized manner, thus aiding the development of children's intentional structure. (Charts of cognitive structures, tables, and 31 references are included.) (BCY)