Gearing Up seeks to align and call into action all those who support middle years children around a strong and sustained commitment to ensure children have what they need to succeed.

Common vision

Our vision is that:

All middle years children thrive as individuals and as members of their families and communities

This is an aspirational vision. We are intentionally setting the bar high when we talk about child wellbeing. Achieving this vision means taking a wholistic and ecological view of child development. It also requires greater and more effective collaboration across governments, service providers, philanthropic partners, businesses and organizations, together with parents, caregivers and other caring adults. We all have a role to play in “gearing up” to support the wellbeing of our children now and into the future.

Guiding principles

Gearing Up was developed through conversations across government, and with parents and caregivers, service providers and funders, advocates, allies and experts. The advice we received led us to identify a number of principles that inform the way the strategic framework has been developed. These principles will guide the way Ontario works with a diverse set of partners in supporting middle years children and families going forward.

  • Establish a balanced, wholistic and strengths-based approach to child development: We consider the interdependent relationship between cognitive, physical, emotional, social and communication domains, along with spirit and self, when supporting child development. We celebrate the diversity and strengths of children by providing high quality, equitable and inclusive programs and services that are child- and family-centred and contribute to children’s development and wellbeing. We acknowledge and reflect the whole child and family experience in the design, development and delivery of services and supports. We affirm the central role of families, the importance of strong and inclusive communities and the influence of other caring adults in supporting children in Ontario.
  • Target support to those who need it: We will focus on the middle years children and families who face barriers and challenges to reaching their full potential. These include First Nations, Métis and Inuit, newcomers, racialized, LGBTQ2S, Francophones, children with disabilities and special needs, children living in poverty or in families facing precarious situations, children in care, those in rural or remote communities, as well as those experiencing disparities due to gender identity.
  • Collaborate and partner effectively: We will seek opportunities to collaborate and bring an innovative, collective impact approach to children’s services and supports, and work to break down barriers and strengthen connections between service providers, schools, foundations, community organizations, governments, families, employers, and other allies.
  • Address discrimination and foster equity and inclusion: We commit to foster the diverse and intersecting personal and cultural identities of middle years children and their families in Ontario. We commit to advance human rights so everybody has equitable rights and to prevent discrimination and harassment based on race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or religion. We value culture and identity as foundational to optimal development and essential for a strong Ontario. We will continue to improve the way that services are designed and delivered so that they are barrier-free, inclusive, tailored to meet the unique needs of children and families and culturally responsive. We commit to recognizing and eradicating policies and services that contribute to systemic racism, homophobia and transphobia, Islamophobia, ableism and sexism.
  • Empower children and families: We view children and their families as capable, and experts on their own strengths, needs, abilities and experiences. We expect services to be delivered in ways that enable children and families to define and meet their goals. We see families as the foundation to supporting the abilities and strengths of children. We will work collaboratively with parents and caregivers to seek their input on ways that will support them to thrive.
  • Deliver high quality services that reflect evidence and research: We will use evidence such as child development research (e.g., On MY Way developmental resource), program evaluation and the insights of those who support children and their families to inform the design and delivery of high quality policies and programs. We will use data to evaluate the impact of policies and programs, and to hold us accountable for how programs are delivered. An evidence-based approach is central to improving the ways we support middle years children and their families.
  • Embed the principles of the Ontario Indigenous Children and Youth Strategy: We acknowledge the conditions in Indigenous communities are results of racist, colonial policies that often tore families and communities apart, separated children from their families, and attempted to wipe out the languages and traditions of the many diverse Indigenous peoples in Ontario. We acknowledge that the pain of the past continues to traumatize children and families and that we must work harder to right these wrongs. By embedding the principles of the Ontario Indigenous Children and Youth Strategy, we will work with Indigenous peoples and partners in new ways based on respect, reconciliation and support for Indigenous self-determination.