For decades, the Human Early Learning Partnership at the University of British Columbia has generated world-leading evidence about the conditions children need to thrive. Yet today, British Columbia records the highest rate of early childhood vulnerability in a quarter century — and the highest of any province.

Early vulnerability has lifelong consequences. Children who enter school struggling with social and emotional development, age-appropriate literacy and numeracy skills, or physical health are far more likely to fall behind academically, experience poorer health, and face greater risks of involvement with the justice system later in life.

While the challenge is especially acute in BC — where high housing costs strain family budgets more than anywhere else in the country — elevated rates of early childhood vulnerability are a concern across Canada.

If the evidence has been clear for decades, why has policy change been so limited?

The answer lies less in knowledge than in political choices about how governments allocate public resources. As spending growth flows disproportionately to retirement income and medical care for older populations, fewer resources remain for the foundations of a healthy society — child care, education, poverty reduction, and family supports. The result is a pattern of government budgets that are, in effect, anti-child, anti-parent, and anti-young-worker.