Middle Years Matter

Middle years for children (ages 6 to 12) are a very important developmental life stage. What happens during these years sets the stage for adolescence and adulthood. We know that investing in a child at this age is vital for their future emotional, social, physical and mental health. What we find through emerging research and conversations with community leaders, agencies, parents and families, children, educators and elected officials is that we are not doing enough. There is an identified gap in research, supporting policy, programming and funding for middle years children, especially in a Canadian context.

As part of National Child Day on November 20, 2019, we are releasing our recent findings of the opinions of young adults and parents of young children in Ontario about how we are doing to support children in their middle years. We also speak to how we are supporting solutions to this issue and inviting others to join us.

Click this link or the picture below to access this special report.

Future Possibilities for Kids has committed to doubling our leadership and life skills programming over 3 years, aiming to reach 1,000 middle years children annually by 2021 as part of our ‘Leadership Amplified’ strategy. We will also be using our voice and reach to raise more awareness and draw more support towards research, policy and investment into this important age group. We will do more so that children can:

• Use their voice and actions to make their communities stronger
• Connect with supportive and encouraging adults and community members
• Have more opportunities to build their confidence and sense of purpose

This is our contribution to this very important and crucial age for children. We are also inviting others to provide more opportunities and to take action to rally for increased support for children in their middle years. Doing this now will see these children flourishing for years to come.