Read more about young children and early childhood development in Quebec

All children — regardless of their gender, parents, origin, culture, birthplace, living situation, language, religion, or mental or physical health — deserve to be treated fairly and equitably. It is our collective duty to ensure that the rights of our youngest citizens are upheld. That is the central theme for this year’s Early Childhood Week, which, for the seventh year in a row, will be stressing the vital importance of these rights in preventing and reducing social inequalities.

Quebec City, November 9, 2022 — Spearheaded by the Collectif petite enfance, the 7th annual Early Childhood Week will take place November 14 to 20, 2022, with close to 300 activities across the province revolving around the central theme of the rights of young children. The Collectif petite enfance is committed to taking the lead in ensuring these rights are upheld at every level of society. Early Childhood Week is an ideal opportunity to open up a dialogue about social inequalities, raise public awareness, spark new ways of thinking and identify potential solutions to emphasize the importance of children’s rights as a means of preventing and redressing these inequalities.

À quelques heures du second débat des chefs, le Collectif petite enfance tient à rappeler l’importance de mettre les tout-petits au cœur de nos préoccupations collectives. Bien que l’accessibilité aux services de garde demeure une priorité pour les tout-petits et leurs parents, force est de constater que d’autres enjeux tout aussi importants tardent à être débattus sur la place publique.

A few days before the first anniversary of the tabling of the report by the Special Commission on the Rights of the Child and Youth Protection, more commonly referred to as the Laurent Commission, the task force created by the Collectif petite enfance has released the outcome of their deliberations concerning the composition and leadership of the watchdog committee.

The Collectif petite enfance is taking the initiative to set up a task force of experts and researchers from various disciplines to create a watchdog committee in order to monitor the progress made on the recommendations set out in the report tabled by the Special Commission on the Rights of the Child and Youth Protection, more commonly referred to as the Laurent Commission.

It’s time to dispel a myth: Contrary to widespread belief, English-speaking children and families in Quebec are not amongst the most privileged, especially when it comes to ensuring optimal child development.

The 6th annual Early Childhood Week will take place from November 15 to 21, with a focus on the themes of prevention and creating caring communities. All told, the event will feature a lineup of close to 300 activities across the province. As the driving force behind Early Childhood Week, the Collectif petite enfance is committed to taking the lead on matters related to the well-being of young children in Quebec. As such, the organization plans to keep a close eye on the status of the each of the actions outlined in the Laurent Commission’s report, especially as they pertain to prevention, as this is one of the keys to protecting our most vulnerable babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

The Special Commission on Children’s Rights and Youth Protection, otherwise known as the Laurent Commission, issued a series of recommendations in May 2021. It is these recommendations that are the inspiration behind the focus of this year’s 6th annual Early Childhood Week (ECW). The Collectif petite enfance, the entity behind ECW, has pledged to keep a close eye on the actions taken in response to the Commission’s report, specifically as they relate to creating caring communities and prevention. Therein lies the key.

We are proud to unveil the new Collectif petite enfance website, which has been merged with the Early Childhood Week site. There’s no better two-for-one-deal to be had anywhere.

The Collectif petite enfance: a vital ally

With the report of the Special Commission on the Rights of the Child and Youth Protection expected tomorrow, the Collectif petite enfance has pledged to keep an eye on the progress of the Commission’s recommendations moving forward — especially those related to prevention and the required conditions for creating caring communities. This collective deliberation will take place during the 6th annual Early Childhood Week held later this year, approximately six months after the report is delivered. Local, regional and provincial stakeholders in early childhood development, including elected officials, will be invited to weigh in on the status of these recommendations and, in so doing, draw public attention once again to the importance of prevention.

In its most recent portrait, released today, the Early Childhood Observatory (Observatoire des tout-petits) provides a detailed review of existing public policies in Quebec regarding early childhood development. The portrait is the result of meticulous research, conducted in collaboration with a community of 60 experts, and will serve as a benchmark against which the well-being and future outcomes of young children can be analyzed.

Momentum is building in support of Early Childhood Week (November 15–21) to
give a voice to the 530,000 children 5 and under in Quebec, or close to 600,000 counting all those who will be born in the coming months.

During the 2018 Early Childhood Week, organized by Avenir d’enfants, plans were announced to create a Quebec-wide early childhood collective. Two years later, these plans have become a reality.