Children are "nested" in multiple environments: the child within the family, the family within the larger community of neighbourhoods and workplaces, the community as defined by different geographic and political boundaries, the public institutions (such as schools) that provide community infrastructure, and the govern- ments that provide the resources and policies that allow each of these nests t. [...] Suzanne Peters, the commitment of Judith Maxwell, the ingenuity of the cadre of researchers who contributed to the project, and the generous support of the project funders. [...] These core commitments were supplemented by the sage advice willingly provided throughout the project by members of the Best Policy Mix for Children Advisory Committee, the voluntary participation of experts from across Canada who readily shared their insights and experience via roundtables, workshops and the review of papers, and the administra- tive and technical support provided by the Canadian. [...] The development of a societal strategy for children that includes the best possible mix of policies requires innovative thinking and the adjust- ment of longstanding habits by governments and other policymakers in the private and voluntary sectors. [...] Children are "nested" in multiple environ- ments: the child within the family, the family within the larger community of neighbourhoods and workplaces, the community as defined by different geographic and political boundaries, the public institutions that provide community in- frastructure, and the governments that provide the resources and enabling policies that allow each of these nests to funct.

Changing Canada examines political transformations, welfare state restructuring, international boundaries and contexts, the new urban experience and creative resistance. The authors question dominant ways of thinking and promote alternative ways of understanding and explaining Canadian society and politics that encourage progressive social change. They examine how the evolution of capitalism is producing new types of transformations and new forms of resistance, and show that aspects of the state and the wider society are being contested. They also discuss the often paradoxical or contradictory effects of various social forces, such as the liberating but also constraining features of new communications technologies, new employment norms and new household forms.

This book describes the findings of a five-year journey of inquiry of medical and social scientists. Of particular interest and emphasis are issues of gender, poverty, Aboriginal status, and cultural factors that frame the lives of "typical" and "non-typical" young children and their families in urban, rural and remote communities.

Assembling key experts and activists in the area of Canadian child care policy, this book makes an important contribution to understanding how Canada, with its particular institutions, politics, and values, should design a national child care strategy.