Canada has one of the highest enrolments in post-secondary institutions among industrialized countries. Government expenditures for all levels of education have doubled over the past 10 years. Recent provincial cutbacks mean that many parents of elementary and secondary school students must now pay user fees for activities that were previously free, including cultural and sporting activities and special services such as speech therapy. Funding for kindergarten programs is being cut across Canada. Fewer children have access to high-quality preschool programs.
Healthy pregnancies are the key to having healthy babies.
A disproportionate number of these babies come from low-income households. Children are more likely to die in their first year of life than at any other time during childhood, usually from respiratory distress and birth defects. Canada has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world. Young children tend to be more physically aggressive than older children. Those who do not learn to control violent impulses at a young age are at a high risk of exhibiting violent behaviour later in life.