BC Council for Families

by Marilee Peters
Director of Communications, BC Council for Families

A recent spate of academic studies and newspaper columns is reviving the ever-simmering debate over the pros and cons of childcare. Is child care good for young children, or is full time care from a parent better? It's a question that won't go away -- possibly because there is still so much to learn about early human development, or because development of sound childcare policy is so urgently needed, or just maybe because Canadian parents remain hopelessly conflicted over childcare, and over the opposition between the economic necessity for working mothers and our culturally idealized picture of the "good mother" as a stay-at-home parent.

by David Sheftel
Program Coordinator, BC Council for Families

A new fact sheet just released this summer from Child Trends, a US research center that studies children at all stages of development, has great news for home visiting programs. The fact sheet, What Works for Home Visiting Programs, synthesizes the findings from 66 rigorous evaluations of programs with a home visiting component and finds that overall, 32 programs had positive impacts on child outcomes.

by Marilee Peters
Director of Communications, BC Council for Families

The Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs has just released a new report that reveals a high rate of internet use and sophistication among low-income families.