Healthy Early Years
and language barriers
An SSF Report published in 2015 on “The Impact of Language Barriers on Patients’ Safety and Quality of Care” shows that Francophone children in Canada do not have access to a full range of programs and services in French before and after birth and during their childhood and adolescence.
In response to these challenges, SSF, in collaboration with the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne (ACUFC), the Commission nationale des parents francophones (CNPF), the Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones (FNCSF), the Réseau de développement économique et d’employabilité du Canada (RDÉE Canada), is working to improve the wellbeing of young children and their families in Francophone and Acadian minority communities (FAMCs).
The objectives of the Healthy Early Years (HEY) project are to:
- Improve protective factors and reduce risk factors
- Engage communities in taking charge of their health, their wellbeing and their health care system
- Improve health care services to meet the needs of young children in FAMCs
Canada-wide impacts project
Plan and implement interventions to improve access to health and wellness services for Francophone young children, using a holistic approach (community programs, learning opportunities, knowledge products, support services, partnerships). Improve the wellbeing of both parents, starting in the prenatal period, and children 0 to 6 years of age and their families in Francophone and Acadian minority communities (FAMCs). Engage communities in taking charge of their health, their wellbeing and their health care services.
Resource persons
Roger Gauthier
Healthy Early Years Project Coordinator
Nathalie Boivin
Communication and Knowledge Mobilization Officer
National Early Years Management Committee
The National Early Years Management Committee manages and administers the funding provided by the federal government for the implementation of initiatives to develop early years and child care services in French and improve the health and wellbeing of young children in Canada’s Francophone and Acadian minority communities.
Funding for these initiatives is provided under the Action Plan for Official Languages – 2018-2023: Investing in Our Future by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)
