The quality of care our children receive in their early years is the most important factor in their successes in school, in social relationships, as adolescents and as adults. On behalf of Premier Gordon Campbell and the Government of British Columbia, I am honoured to advance our work in the area of Early Childhood Development.

Currently, there are 271,000 children in British Columbia under the age of six. We believe strategic investment in our youngest children is not only good public policy, it is one of the most important actions we can take to strengthen our families and communities.

Seven BC ministers have responsibilities for the varied aspects of services to children. As Minister of State for Early Childhood Development, I have been privileged to work with each of them to develop a long-term vision for policies and programs in this area. Thank you very much to my colleagues: Children and Family Development Minister Gordon Hogg, Education Minister Christy Clark, Human Resources Minister Murray Coell, Health Services Minister Colin Hansen, Health Planning Minister Sindi Hawkins, and Women’s Equality Minister of State Lynn Stephens.

Our vision emphasizes an integrated cross-government strategy for children from preconception to six years of age. Thanks are due also to the wide range of parents, stakeholders and other experts in the areas of child-rearing who are helping us refine specific early childhood development programs and services.

At this point, we have identified five major priorities:

• investments in community capacity to develop and deliver co-ordinated supports and services that are based on community population and needs
• supporting Aboriginal communities to work together to develop and implement early intervention strategies
• quality child care programs and services to support parent’s ability to train for and participate in the workforce
• parental education initiatives which help parents to make the most of their children’s development, and
• partnerships with the private sector to broaden community involvement and capacity for early childhood development initiatives.

I know that on behalf of families in British Columbia, we will continue to work together to ensure that our children grow up healthy and safe - with hope and opportunities to reach their goals.

Yours with kindest regards,

Linda Reid

Minister of State for Early Childhood Development