Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Building a better future for our children

Clyde Hertzman speaks about the state of early childhood development at the Imagine Our Future national conference on Wednesday night. Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy

Early childhood development is central to maintaining health, as demonstrated during the opening night of the Imagine Our Future national conference at Mosaic Place.

“The early years are very, very important for us to take seriously as a society,” said Clyde Hertzman, a professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia and the director of the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP). 

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Imagine Our Future website

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“Early human development influences outcomes across the entire life,” said Clyde Hertzman. “By the end of the second decade of life, what happened in those first five years is influencing risks of school failure, unwanted teenage pregnancy and early criminality, despite all the things that come afterwards.”

“The conference is about looking at the importance of the early years and not only the early development, but the effect of parenting and families on that development and looking at what we can do to make a difference for the future. The future of these children and the future of the economy and general health and well-being of our city, our province and our country,” said Christine Boyczuk.