State-of-the-art estimates of the cost of raising children are the missing link for social policies and programs meant to support low income and middle class families, says Campaign 2000. Released today, Campaign 2000’s new report, “Estimating the Cost of Raising Children: Setting the Agenda for Canada,” outlines the need for official estimates to guide public policy and assist parents across Canada with planning. Read the full report in English or French and check out the infographic summary.

Media releases are also available in French or English.

In “Estimating the Cost of Raising Children: Setting the Agenda for Canada,” authors Dr. Dana Bazarkulova, Dr. Karen Duncan and Dr. Sid Frankel provide a comprehensive overview of the importance and history of the topic and present the advantages and disadvantages of various methods used to calculate the costs. Accurate estimates of the cost of raising children are dependent on comprehensive measurement of the costs families face. Further, costs can differ based on ethno-cultural practices, geographic location, disability and health status of children and such variation requires recognition. The report highlights that different types of estimates are best used for different purposes.

“Right now, we don’t have official estimates of what it costs to raise children,” says Anita Khanna, Campaign 2000 national coordinator. “Calculating the real cost of raising children is central to crafting evidence-based child poverty reduction policies that support the healthy development of children. With federal consultations for the Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy underway for the first time in Canada’s history, it is time to fill this gap in public knowledge. We must ensure the realities of families’ real-time expenses, such as food, housing, childcare, transit, schools fees and even saving for post-secondary education, inform policy directions and to help level the uneven playing field for families.”

In the News:
Toronto Star: Canada urged to calculate how much it costs to raise children
Globe and Mail: Study says no firm estimate on costs to raise a family a problem for government

With one in five children living in poverty in Canada, Imagine A City’s Ask the Expert blog focuses on the impact and lasting effects of childhood poverty.

“The early years are the most important time in our life for brain development, learning, behaviour and health. These years are crucial to a child’s future wellbeing, self-esteem and physical and mental health… Side effects of poverty related to inadequate or unsafe housing, stress within a household and a lack of proper nutrition have a major impact on a child’s health, as well as their performance in school.” says Anita Khana, Director of Social Action and Community Building at Family Service Toronto.

Read full blog article.

Campaign 2000 releases its 2016 annual Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada on Thursday, November 24 in Ottawa. This date marks 27 years since the unanimous House of Commons resolution to end child poverty in Canada and seven years after the entire House of Commons voted “to develop an immediate plan to end poverty for all in Canada.

The 2016 national report card, A Road Map to Eradicate Child & Family Poverty, highlights the compelling reasons why the federal government needs to adopt a child and family poverty reduction lens on all policy, program and spending decisions. It provides a snapshot of child and family poverty today, outlines how poverty stalls children’s progress and potential and proposes policy solutions as a road map to guide eradication.

Campaign 2000 recognizes the significant poverty reduction potential of the commitments from the federal government. Our national media release notes, “Canada has a chronic child poverty problem that the federal government can solve, but it must get to the roots of the issues plaguing families.” Please read our full media releases, in English or French.

The national report card release corresponds with several Campaign 2000 partners releasing provincial report cards on child and family poverty in Vancouver, British Columbia; Regina, Saskatoon; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Toronto, Ontario; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Saint John, New Brunswick; and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

Click on the following links to read and download the new report cards and other materials:

Campaign 2000 National Report Card on Child and Family Poverty, 2016 in English and French

National Campaign 2000 sharable infographic, 2016

BC Report Card on Child & Family Poverty, 2016

Saskatchewan Report Card on Child and Family Poverty, 2016

Manitoba Report Card on Child and Family Poverty, 2016

Ontario Report Card on Child and Family Poverty, 2016, in English and French

Nova Scotia Report Card on Child and Family Poverty, 2016

New Brunswich Report Card on Child and Family Poverty  2016

Prince Edward Island Report Card on Child and Family Poverty, 2016

In addition, please check out our twitter messages @Campaign2000; and our Facebook page at facebook.com/Campaign2000/

Toronto continues to be the child poverty capital of Canada: it has the highest rate of low-income children among large urban centres according to the Toronto Child and Poverty Report Divided City: Life in Canada’s Child Poverty Capital. The report was co-released Nov. 14 by Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, Family Service Toronto (Ontario Campaign 2000), Social Planning Toronto, and Colour of Poverty-Colour of Change.

The report draws from new data to update the 2014 report, The Hidden Epidemic: A Report on Child and Family Poverty in Toronto and it describes the level (and unequal distribution) of poverty and its effect on children and families in Toronto.

Just as the Toronto City Council is considering cutting up to $600 million in spending on City-funded programs and services, the report reminds us that 27 per cent of Toronto children were living in low-income families in 2014, topping the list above Montreal (25 per cent), Winnipeg (24 per cent ) and all other urban areas with over 500,000 residents.

The report found huge neighbourhood disparities in child poverty levels, which reflect other inequities. For example, racialized families, new immigrant families, lone parent families and families with disabilities are up to three times more at risk of living in poverty. “When you cross Laird Avenue to go from Leaside to Thorncliffe, the rate of child poverty rate increases from 4 to 52 per centé said Jessica Mustachi of Family Service Toronto. “This divide shows how we can and must do more to provide quality services to support low-income residents.

The report also found that low-income children are struggling to succeed: children in schools in low-income neighbourhoods are less likely to be meeting provincial standards in Grade 3 math, reading and writing than children in higher-income schools.

Read Full Report and see Jessica on Global News at 5:30 pm on November 14.

Read Toronto Star article: Kids suffer most as Toronto clings to title of child poverty capital.

Campaign 2000 is endorsing the National Housing Day of Action on Nov. 18 – an initiative of The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO).

In 2015, an estimated 235,000 people experienced homelessness across Canada (with one in every seven shelter users being a child). Over 730,000 renter households spent more than 50% of their income on rent putting them at risk of homelessness. In its 2015 Annual Report Card, C2000 urged the government to develop a comprehensive national housing strategy reflective of the needs of local communities and First Nations in partnership with provinces, territories, municipalities, First Nations, the non-profit sector and the private sector.

The Canadian government has promised to fix the affordable housing crisis with Canada’s first ever National Housing Strategy to be announced on Nov. 22.

ACTO is organizing a Toronto march for the right to housing on Nov. 18, 12 p.m. at Queen’s Park to ensure our National Housing Strategy will guarantee everyone the right to safe, adequate, and affordable housing.

Find out more about the event and register now.

Campaign 2000 staff will visit Toronto schools during the week of Oct. 17, 2016 to engage students and teachers in discussions on child poverty and the need for a national poverty reduction strategy for Canada.

The visits coincide with this year’s “Chew on This!”  a national event led by the anti-poverty campaign Dignity for All to mark the UN’s International Day to Eradicate Poverty every Oct. 17.

The event is also designed to educate the public about widespread food bank usage in Canada and workable solutions to poverty that plagues many communities.

Campaign 2000 is co-ordinated by Family Service Toronto and is a national non-partisan coalition promoting support for the 1989 unanimous House of Commons resolution to end child poverty by the year 2000

As children and youth prepare for back to school, families with low income face the anxiety of affording new school supplies and clothing on top of ongoing struggles to put food on the table and provide other necessities.

Ontario Campaign 2000’s 2015 Report Card update, “Let’s Do This: Let’s End Child Poverty For Good - finds that one in five children under 18 and 15.4% of families with children live in poverty in Ontario. Despite recent policy changes and benefits many families with children are still struggling.

The report urges the Ontario government to implement concrete policy changes to assist families out of poverty. Eradicating child and family poverty is possible and the government must act to assist families in securing safe and affordable housing, obtaining good jobs access affordable high quality child care.

Canada’s low-income families will keep the full Canada Child Benefit (CCB). All provinces and territories responded to our collective call for no clawbacks! They will support full CCB for families receiving income assistance.

As a result of our hard work by all the Campaign 2000 partners and coalition members, we’re happy to announce that low-income families across the country will be able to keep the full CCB.

Download the newly updated Campaign 2000 Infographic

Read the recent CBC coverage on this issue:
Canada child benefit seen as fighting poverty – as long as provinces co-operate
New Canada Child Benefit program payments start today

Background:

Most families with children across Canada will receive their newly-redesigned and enhanced Canada Child Benefit (CCB) cheques in July.

The new CCB took effect July 1, 2016 and has been described as a “once-in-a-generation” social policy to reduce child poverty by Campaign 2000, a non-partisan coalition of 120 groups and individuals co-ordinated by Family Service Toronto. The bolstered, tax-free and progressively-delivered income transfer is projected to significantly reduce child and family poverty. The benefit’s design is very similar to proposals Campaign 2000 has put forward since 2012 and our network recognizes it as a historic step forward in the battle against child and family poverty in Canada.