The pandemic has brought to light the challenges facing children, as well as their needs. To overcome the increase in inequalities among toddlers, the Early Childhood Collective stresses the importance of acting together and facing the risks of mistreatment in a comprehensive manner.
Households have had “a lot of needs” since the start of the health crisis, explains Élise Bonneville, director of the Early Childhood Collective. “Some families that we wouldn’t have called vulnerable have started to change with the pandemic,” she observes.
If she does not yet have figures detailing the repercussions since 2020 on toddlers, she notes that inequalities “accumulate and exacerbate”.
The challenges observed are often related to the living conditions of the families, explains Ms.me Good city. This includes access to quality housing of adequate size for everyone, as well as sufficient income to enable parents to support their children. “We have seen a lot of increase in food security needs,” adds the director of the collective.
Work-family balance and the effects of adult mental health issues on toddlers are also some of the challenges families have experienced during the health crisis. “Parents were so preoccupied with other issues affecting living conditions and mental health that they were less able to play the role of primary educator,” summarizes Élise Bonneville. She reminds us that the first years of life are a pivotal period for young people. “We must maximize the chances of development,” she argues.
Various types of vulnerability
According to Mme Bonneville, Families can face five types of threats. The socio-economic challenges, the stress associated with work-family balance, the ability of parents to be able to achieve decent living conditions, their mental health and finally consumption disorders. “In the scientific literature, these factors taken individually will not indicate risks of abuse,” she says. Rather, it is the accumulation of these factors within the same household that increases them.
According to her, there are several types of populations that live several different realities. “Maybe this family doesn’t have any socio-economic challenges at all. And that she would rather experience a lack of social support, of adequate services, of recognition of her reality, which can put her in contexts of vulnerability, ”she lists. She also stresses the importance of having a “plural reading” of the situation.
Thus, to prevent problems that may affect toddlers, the director of the Early Childhood Collective pleads for global solutions aimed at addressing several challenges simultaneously. “By only offering a salary increase, but not supporting family-work balance or not allowing the family to have access to adequate housing, we are in a silo dimension. We are dealing with a problem that will not affect all the social issues of the family, ”she underlines.
While it concedes that there are already public measures and policies aimed at supporting households, the Early Childhood Collective would like them to be improved. “Update them and have programs that correlate with the context”, claims Mme Good city. Thus, in the face of inflation, it suggests indexing the measures according to the current economic situation.
We should “give ourselves a long-term vision where we would have indicators that would allow us to readjust upwards according to the growing needs of families”, she pleads.
Still a lot to do
The publication of the Laurent commission’s report in May 2021 enabled the implementation of several measures to anticipate vulnerabilities among the youngest, but “of course, a lot of things remain to be done”, says Ms.me Good city.
She wants the government to make a commitment by aligning itself with the recommendations of the document with a long-term vision. “In terms of prevention, it’s about acting together and early. It is important to continue to mobilize civil society and not to work in silos in the decisions that are taken”, she believes.
“It is even more important for the future to bring children’s rights back to the heart of our actions, to the heart of our mobilization. »