Taking Different Approaches to Child Policy

This chapter examines the question of whether research evidence regarding early childhood development and population health has actually contributed to the development of policies that affect children's health and well-being. To explore the role that research played in the development of child policy, it examines recently implemented child policies in three countries: the National Children's Agenda in Canada, the State Children's Health Insurance Program in the United States, and the Early Childhood Education and Care Policy in Norway. It contextualizes each of these policies with a discussion of family policy and social attitudes towards family and children in each country. The chapter concludes that while research evidence played a central role in the development of each of these policies, the political, cultural, and historical environment, along with the core social values of the population, shaped policy specifics.