The future of Quebec is in the hands of our youngest citizens

For the second time in a row, the theme for last year’s Early Childhood Week revolved around young children’s rights.  

The kickoff event focused on the status of the rights of young children in Quebec and featured an impressive slate of guest speakers, including Ziba Vaghri, PhD, Associate Professor, Research Chair in Child Rights and Child Development, University of New Brunswick; Christian Whalen, former advocate with the New Brunswick Office of the Child and Youth Advocate; Suzanne Arpin, Vice-President, Mandat Jeunesse, Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse; Julie Cailliau, Director, Observatoire des tout-petits; and Médérik Sioui, Communications Manager, First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission. 

Early Childhood Week activities got underway on November 20, World Children’s Day, with the rallying cry of “Rising Together to Champion Young Children’s Rights.” Over 400 communities took part in a symbolic flag-raising, as part of a province-wide show of support for our littlest citizens. The official ceremony took place in Varennes, where several dignitaries spoke out in support of this movement, including Suzanne Roy, Quebec Minister of Families; Martin Damphousse, Mayor of Varennes and President of the Union des municipalités du Québec; Doreen Assaad, Mayor of Brossard and Chair of the Board of Espace MUNI; Katrin Nakashima, Member of the UNICEF Canada Board of Directors; and Elise Bonneville, Director of the Collectif petite enfance. 

The partners and allies of the Collectif petite enfance hosted hundreds of activities at the local, regional and provincial level throughout the week. This was in addition to op-ed letters, newsletters, social media posts and other efforts designed to raise awareness and encourage the public to take action.  

Last but certainly not least, the iconic Early Childhood Week “blankie squares” were worn by all the members of the National Assembly on Tuesday, November 21.  

In 2022, we kicked off our 7th annual Early Childhood Week celebrations at an event in Quebec City alongside more than 60 partners. Hosted by journalist Isabelle Craig, the launch featured keynote speakers Lisa Wolff, Director of Policy and Research for UNICEF Canada, and Sylvana Côté, Director of the Observatory for Children’s Education and Health, a professor at the Université de Montréal’s School of Public Health and a researcher with CHU Sainte-Justine. The closing remarks were delivered by Suzanne Roy, the then–newly appointed Quebec Minister of Families. Among the other politicians in attendance were Chantal Rouleau, Quebec Minister Responsible for Social Solidarity and Community Action, Joël Arseneau, MNA and representative of the Parti québécois and Sol Zanetti, MNA and representative of Québec solidaire.

Last year’s focus was on engaging front-line organizations and partners as well as elected officials at the municipal and provincial level. The many communication and advocacy initiatives undertaken in connection with 2022 Early Childhood Week included a series of op-eds sent to newspapers across the province.

The 5th annual Early Childhood Week marked the first year the event was coordinated by the Collectif petite enfance, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though public gatherings were not an option, there were still more than 200 activities organized, many of them virtual, in communities across the province. Journalist Jamie Orchard and TV/radio host André Robitaille helped us produce six very special video interviews addressing key early childhood development issues. More than 60 people signed an op-ed that was published in six Quebec newspapers, asserting that COVID-19 would have long-term repercussions on young children. Given that we were not able to arrange meetings with any elected officials, we opted instead to send a letter to various provincial (125) and municipal (1,131) politicians.

More than 50 people signed an op-ed that was published in six Quebec newspapers, stating unequivocally that every child deserves an equal chance to succeed. During the week, close to 500 activities were organized by ECW partners across the province, and a motion was tabled by the Minister of Families in the Quebec National Assembly. More than a dozen ambassadors from various walks of life actively promoted Early Childhood Week through a wide range of forums. Six of these ambassadors – Kim Boutin, member of the Canadian national short track speed skating team and Olympic athlete; Louise Deschâtelets, actor and columnist; Christiane Germain, Co-President of Germain Hôtels; Vincent Graton, actor; Marie-Josée Richer, Co-Founder, PRANA; and Guillaume Vermette, philanthropic clown – also appeared in promotional videos around the theme of early childhood memories.

An op-ed entitled “Is Quebec Doing Enough for Young Children?” was signed by 56 people. In addition, the Grand Rally for Our Little Ones brought together close to 600 early childhood development stakeholders, including decision-makers from the local, regional and provincial level. The rally was one of the highlights of the 2018 event, attracting some much-needed attention to the growing movement to be more responsive to the needs of children and babies 5 and under.

In 2017, 52 individuals and organizations from the political, media, union and business communities signed our “Letter from Grown-Ups to Our Little Ones.” That same year, close to 40% of Early Childhood Week activities were held in public libraries throughout Quebec as part of the Participating Libraries project.

Thousands of signatures supporting our “Letter from Grown-Ups to Our Little Ones,” the media launch of the first portrait of children aged 5 and under in Quebec, a wide range of local and regional activities, and the mobilization of multiple groups in society in support of early childhood development: these are some of the fantastic outcomes of the very first Early Childhood Week.