children playing

Let's put the "S" back in the CHST

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Interaction, Volume 15, Number 1 (Spring issue)
Author: 
Friendly, Martha
Format: 
Article
Publication Date: 
1 Apr 2001
AVAILABILITY

Available in print for order (see SOURCE) and online for download.

The Early Childhood Development (ECD) Agreement was signed by Canada's First Ministers in September 2000. The Agreement parallels a higher profile reinvestment in the Canada Health and Social Transfer (CHST), which is about nine times the ECD funds.

Friendly suggests that while the CHST block fund officially includes health, post-secondary and social programs, it is now referred to as "health funding" and not as a source of funds for social programs like child care. This leaves little financial resources to adequately ensure children's good start in life and society's health and well-being. She suggests that children's needs have been relegated to the limited ECD Agreement while the CHST has essentially become the Canada Health Transfer.