Subsidize parents instead
In order to increase access to daycare services, the Quebec government recently announced the creation of 14,000 new subsidized daycare spaces over the next two years. But with 51,000 children on the waiting list for subsidized child care, there is not a single space available. And despite the government's good intentions, even this modest increase…
Tax burdens and living costs prevent most intact parental couples from raising their children at home
What would be better – children conceived by random intercourse and raised by the state, or children raised by their parents in the same household? Plato, the Greek philosopher from ancient times, said the former; and whether we realize it or not, his philosophy has dragged public policy for decades. “Our men and women,” Plato…
Giving children the tools and skills to enter school with their “best foot forward
Despite what many first-time parents may wish for, kids don’t come with instruction manuals. Even seemingly straightforward developmental milestones, like when to introduce solid food, can vary across countries. And when it comes to language development, things get even more complicated. It can be challenging to gauge what is just a child’s creativity and what…
Learning doesn’t always need to happen sitting at a desk
We know that school kids spend too much time sitting at their desks. Now we have some evidence-based recommendations to counter that sedentary behaviour. They offer guidelines to educators, parents and caregivers to help school-aged children grow and thrive. “It kind of challenges traditional views of learning,” said Valerie Carson. “Learning doesn’t always need to happen sitting at…
Provincial mismanagement and disrespect for childcare operators has finally hit a boiling point
“I jump through the flaming hoops of death and I’m beyond frustrated.” This is one British Columbia childcare provider’s description of the circus the government is running regarding the administration of childcare. B.C. parents looking forward to $10-a-day childcare are in for disappointment. Provincial mismanagement of childcare and disrespect for childcare operators has been going…
Teenagers have virtually no life experience and no expertise but are feted as if they were Einstein
By Mark Milke and Martin Mrazik The Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy The war on Ukraine instigated by Russian President Vladimir Putin should be a reminder that adults and their experiences and judgments matter, i.e. thinking through whether we wish to go to war with Russia. However obvious that seems, in recent years – on…
That way, parents will be able to afford the kind of care that best meets their needs
We’ve all seen the headlines about Ontario being the only province not to sign on to the federal childcare plan. The Liberal Party of Ontario drew attention to this again recently, announcing that if it formed a government in June after the next provincial election, the province would send families a retroactive payment of $2,750…
Treatment acts like a Band-Aid for mutations, allowing the body to rebuild muscle tissue
Up to 45 per cent of patients with the most common inherited neuromuscular disease could benefit from a new “cocktail” drug being developed at the University of Alberta, according to research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The drug could provide an effective and economical treatment to lessen symptoms for the six of…
One-on-one sessions give teens knowledge and skills to make a successful transition out of pediatric care
An 18th birthday means grown-up privileges and adult opportunities. For teens with congenital heart disease, it also brings an abrupt end to their time in the pediatric medical system and the uncomfortable new reality of taking responsibility for their health. But doctors and researchers at the University of Alberta and Stollery Children’s Hospital aim to…
It focuses on making sports fun for their young people
As I write this, Norway is tied for second in total medals and gold medals at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Norwegians are projected to take home 45 medals by the end of these Games, surpassing the 39 they won at the 2018 Winter Olympics. That total was way above those for the United States,…