BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON MEASURING READINESS TO LEARN ANNOUNCED IN THE SPEECH FROM THE THRONE SEPTEMBER 23, 1997 The commitment  "The federal, provincial and territorial governments agreed in January 1997 to work together to develop the National Children's Agenda, a comprehensive strategy to improve the well-being of Canada's children.  Federal, provincial and territorial governments will work together to develop this broader agenda for children, including clear outcome measures by which to gauge success. As part of this national agenda, the federal government will ... measure and report regularly on the readiness of Canadian children to learn, so that we can assess our progress in providing our children with the best possible start."    Speech from the Throne, September 23, 1997    Why "readiness to learn" matters  Both researchers and the media have reported on growing evidence that early childhood experiences have significant long-term effects. What happens to children when they are very young shapes their health and well-being, including their capacity for life-long learning and overall success. As governments and society work together to improve children's well-being, there is a need to ensure that there are indicators both to monitor the impacts of actions as well as to mobilize and direct continued interest and efforts. Experts, both in Canada and abroad, agree that one of the most valuable indicators is "learning readiness".  "Readiness to learn" is a measure of many aspects of a child's development at age 5, a key developmental transition for most children. Being "ready to learn" includes: physical well-being and age-appropriate physical development (e.g., fine and gross motor skills); emotional health, including an ability to adapt to new experiences;  age-appropriate social knowledge; language skills; and, general knowledge. This measurement is a powerful predictor of a child's future well-being, including development of a child's sense of self-respect and concern for others, literacy, numeracy, problem-solving skills and overall academic performance, propensity towards life-long learning, health status as an adult as well as anti-social and risk-taking behaviours. Lack of readiness to learn harms a child's chances of fulfilling her/his overall potential. It can also cost society through: increased government social expenditures; decreased government revenue; reduced human resource potential in an increasingly knowledge-based global economy; and, reduced social stability, functioning and cohesion. Preliminary analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Survey on Children and Youth indicates that up to 15 % of Canadian children may not be school-ready. Certain children - particularly those from low income backgrounds - are particularly vulnerable. The life situation of many parents in the late 1990's means that preparing children to be learning-ready must be a collaborative effort involving family, community and the broader society. Regularly monitoring and reporting on the learning-readiness of Canada's children will help to guide policy and investment decisions concerning children, enhancing the abilities of governments and society to prepare our children more effectively for a successful future.    Fulfilling the commitment - building on the National Longitudinal Survey on Children and Youth (NLSCY)   The NLSCY is a long-term study that will follow a sample of Canadian children into adulthood. The study is conducted in partnership by Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) and Statistics Canada. The NLSCY enables us, for the first time, to explore the role that a whole range of factors play in shaping long-term outcomes for Canadian children. The NLSCY already measures, to some extent, the learning readiness of young children. HRDC and Statistics Canada will explore, with experts as well as other federal, provincial and territorial officials, possible enhancements to improve the way in which the NLSCY measures learning readiness. Together, HRDC will work with partners to develop and publish regular reports identifying the state of learning readiness of Canada's preschoolers, as an important contribution to government and societal action to improve children's futures. For further information on the NLSCY, please contact:  Susan McKellar    NLSCY Project Coordinator  Applied Research Branch  Human Resources Development Canada  Place du Portage, Phase IV 5 (A6)  Hull, Quebec K1A 0J9  Tel: (819) 953-4230  Fax: (819) 994-2480  Gilles Montigny NLSCY Project Manager  Special Surveys Division  Statistics Canada  Jean Talon Building 4th Floor Tunney's Pasture  Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0T6  Tel: (613) 951-9731  [ Top ] [ Menu | Previous | Français ] © 1998 Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada