Healthy Child Manitoba Strategy

1. Healthy Child Manitoba Strategy Putting Children and Families First

2. Healthy Child Vision The best possible outcomes for Manitoba’s children

3. Healthy Child Mission Healthy Child Manitoba works across departments and sectors to facilitate community development for the well-being of Manitoba’s children, families, and communities. With a priority focus on the prenatal, infant, toddler and preschool years.

4. Horizontal and Vertical Policy Structures: Finding an Optimal Balance • Child-centred public policy needs flexible and dynamic collaborative networks (horizontal) that are empowered by the hierarchical authority and mandate from the highest levels of government (vertical)

5. Leadership: Manitoba’s Premier and Healthy Child Committee of Cabinet • Established in March 2000 by Premier Gary Doer • Only Cabinet committee in Canada dedicated to the well-being of children and youth Gary Doer, Premier of Manitoba “This century can be Manitoba’s century – with new hope for our young people . . . We know that children who grow up in safe, nurturing environments have better success throughout their lives . . . [this] is part of our ongoing commitment to building healthy, safer communities for Manitobans and their families.” (March 2000) Current HCCC members: • Kerri Irvin-Ross, Chair of the Healthy Child Committee of Cabinetand Minister of Healthy Living • Oscar Lathlin, Minister of Aboriginal and Northern Affairs • Eric Robinson, Minister of Culture, Heritage and Tourism • Peter Bjornson, Minister of Education, Citizenship and Youth • Gord Mackintosh, Minister of Family Services and Housing • Theresa Oswald, Minister of Health • Dave Chomiak, Minister of Justice and Attorney General • Nancy Allan, Minister of Labour and Immigration, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women

6. Chair and Minister of Healthy Living Honourable Kerri Irvin-Ross Minister of Health Honourable Theresa Oswald Bridging Government Departments: Intersectoral Structures in Manitoba • Both horizontal and vertical structures are essential • HCMO: 5-part mandate (community development, research, policy, practice, evaluation), dedicated staff and budget, direct access to Ministers and Deputy Ministers, and direct collaboration with all partner ministries and cross-sectoral community partners

7. Healthy ChildCommittee of Cabinet Healthy Child Deputy Ministers’ Committee Healthy Child Manitoba Office Healthy Child Interdepartmental Committees Citizens and communities Parents and families Children and youth Community agencies Provincial HCM Advisory Committee Parent-Child Centred Coalitionsand Council of Coalitions Bridging Government and Community: Intersectoral Structures in Manitoba KNOWLEDGE ACTION

8. Which Way is Up? Healthy Child Committee of Cabinet Healthy Child Deputy Ministers Committee Knowledge Experience Recommendations Challenges HCMO & Partners HCM Advisory Committee 26 Parent Child Coalitions Universities Manitoba Children’s Agenda Centre of Excellence for ECD

9. Parent-Child CoalitionsWhat do they do? • Bring together community strengths and resources within a geographic boundary • Promote and support community-based programs and activities for children and families • Support and enhance existing activities and initiate new activities that reflect community diversity and need

10. What are the core activities? • Positive Parenting • Parenting workshops, support groups, resources • Nutrition and Physical Health • Community kitchens, creative movement programs, “Alphabet Soup” • Learning and Literacy • Parent-child drop in, family literacy, book bags, resource libraries • Community Capacity Building • Networking training opportunities, professional development, employment

11. OUTCOMES COMMUNITY PRESCHOOL & SCHOOL Socially Engaged & Responsible FAMILY SuccessfulLearners CHILD Safe andSecure Physically & Emotionally Healthy HEALTHY CHILD MANITOBAPutting Children and Families First • Parent-Child Coalitions • Healthy Adolescent Development Strategy • School-age Programs (e.g., Healthy Schools) • Triple P – Positive Parenting Program • FASD Prevention Strategy • Families First • Healthy Baby CHILD-CENTRED PUBLIC POLICY

12. Two Foundations ofChild-Centred Public Policy Child-centred public policy Economic Justice Social Justice(financial supports)(community-based family supports) Adapted from: Battle, K., & Torjman, S. (2000). Ottawa should help build a national early childhood development system. Ottawa, ON: Caledon Institute of Social Policy.

13. Opportunity Lost. . .Addressing the Mismatch Between Opportunity & Investment Adapted from: “How Nurture Becomes Nature: The Influence of Social Structures on Brain Development” Bruce Perry, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.

14. . . . and RegainedAddressing the Mismatch Between Opportunity & Investment Since April 2000, Manitoba has increased investments in ECD by over $64 million. Adapted from: “How Nurture Becomes Nature: The Influence of Social Structures on Brain Development” Bruce Perry, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.

15. HCM Knowledge-Action Cycle RESEARCH KNOWLEDGE Healthy Child Manitoba(HCM)Strategy POLICY EVALUATION PRACTICE ACTION February

16. The Early Development Instrument (EDI) • A population-based measurement that determines how a group of children is developing compared to children in other communities • Kindergarten teachers from Manitoba’s School Divisions complete the EDI questionnaire on all Kindergarten-aged children What does the EDI measure? • Children’s “readiness for school” across 5 different areas of child development: • Physical Health and Well-Being • Social Competence • Emotional Maturity • Language and Cognitive Development • Communication Skills and General Knowledge

17. How is the EDI data shared? • Annual EDI results are reported to: • General public • School divisions & schools • Parent child coalitions & the child care community • Policy makers and research community

18. Thank You February 2007

19. Contact Information: Jan Sanderson Executive Director, Healthy Child Manitoba Office and Secretary to the Healthy Child Committee of Cabinet Government of Manitoba Suite 219 – 114 Garry Street Winnipeg, MB R3C 4V6 Tel: (204) 945-6707 Fax: (204) 948-2585 E-mail: Jan.Sanderson@gov.mb.ca