Children are a quarter of Canada’s population and the most vulnerable. They have the right to first call on the nation’s resources to develop into productive adults. Every child counts.

Making each day of a child’s life count is a collective responsibility. Childhood should be a time to thrive, not an obstacle to survive, as it is for those left behind because of poverty, disability and other challenges.

One in ten children in Canada grows up without adequate resources for healthy development, like sufficient family income for safe housing and food security.

There were an estimated 67,000 children in out-of-home care across Canada in 2007. There are many loving foster families, but few children get the chance to have a permanent family. Some provincial governments are improving their chances, through changes to child welfare policy.

While most Canadian children live in healthful conditions, 13% live in unhealthy housing, and more than 38% of food bank users in March 2010 were children.

Despite progress in supporting families with disabled children, children with disabilities are twice as likely as other children to live in low-income households.

Canada is the most “connected” country in the world, bringing benefits and risks to children. They need better access to age-appropriate information to protect themselves from exploitation and to use digital technologies responsibly.

More children than ever graduate from high school. Ensuring quality, culturally appropriate education to close the gap for Aboriginal children remains a high priority – only half complete high school.

Some children fall behind in developing the cognitive and social skills for full participation in Canadian society – their parents need child-friendly working conditions and better access to quality child development programs.