“During the last decade, the world witnessed unprecedented progress in child survival and children’s well-being. Millions of children were able to go to school for the first time, and many more were given a chance at life as mortality rates in most countries dropped dramatically.”
According to the Child Development Index 2012 that issued the above statement, Canada is the sixth best place to raise a child in the world, based on opportunities for health, education and nutrition. Canada follows Japan, Spain, Germany, Italy and France. Rounding out the top 10 in the Index is Switzerland, Norway, United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
At the other end of the spectrum is Chad, Niger and Somalia.
Countries that ranked highly on the index did so because they accounted low child mortality, high nutrition and provided access to primary education.
The qualities that put Canada high on the list are evident throughout the country, including right here in Sudbury.
Breakfast programs at elementary schools make it a reality for students to make it through the day on a full belly, whether or not their food comes from a home kitchen. The Human League supplies breakfast to more than 4,000 kids a day, attending 22 local schools, during the academic year, providing every child “an equal opportunity” to learn — and that they do.
According the 2011 Vital Signs report, “the city supports early childhood education through funding more regulated spaces and providing more child care subsidies than most other cities.”
In 2010, there were 274 subsidized child care spaces per 1,000 children aged 12 and under from low-income families, up from 259 in 2009, the report stated.
The same report stated that in 2009-10, the portion of newborn babies in the North East Local Health Integration Network's region remained lower than the provincial and national averages.
For more on the report, visit www.savethechildren.org.uk.
Posted by Arron Pickard
