Aboriginal Children's Survey, 2006: Family, Community and Child Care

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Highlights
Introduction
Setting the context

Highlights

According to the 2006 Census, Aboriginal children are a growing proportion of all children; particularly in the territories and in the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

• For example, while Aboriginal people made up 10% of the population living off-reserve in Saskatchewan in 2006, Aboriginal children made up 20% of all children under six years old.

According to the 2006 Census, there were approximately 7,000 Inuit, 35,000 Métis and 47,000 off-reserve First Nations¹ children under the age of six across Canada².

Compared to non-Aboriginal children, higher percentages of young Aboriginal children are growing up in large families and with young parents.

• About 28% of Inuit children, 17% of First Nations children living off reserve, and 11% of Métis children were living in families with 4 or more children. This is compared to 8% of non-Aboriginal children in Canada.
• Aboriginal children are more likely to be raised by younger parents than non-Aboriginal children. Among children under six years old, 26% of Inuit children, 27% of First Nations children living off reserve and 22% of Métis children had mothers between the ages of 15 to 24; this is compared to 8% of non-Aboriginal children.

Many persons, including extended family and community members, are involved in raising young Aboriginal children.

• In 2006, among children under the age of six years, 67% of First Nations children living off reserve, 69% of Métis, and 71% of Inuit received focused attention from their grandparents at least once a week. Furthermore, 26% of First Nations children, 24% of Métis children, and 35% of Inuit children received focused attention from Elders at least once a week.

A greater proportion of young Aboriginal children were living in low-income economic families compared to non-Aboriginal children.

• Over half (57%) of First Nations children in census metropolitan areas (CMAs)³ were living in low-income economic families, as were 45% of Inuit children and 42% of Métis children. This is compared to 21% of non-Aboriginal children in CMAs.

Parents or guardians of Aboriginal children reported higher levels of dissatisfaction with their finances and their housing situation compared to other aspects of their home and daily life.

• The parents or guardians of 29% of Inuit children, 21% of Métis children, and 28% of First Nations children living off reserve reported they were 'dissatisfied' or 'very dissatisfied' with their finances.
• The parents or guardians of 30% of Inuit children, 10% of Métis children, and 16% of First Nations children living off reserve reported they were 'dissatisfied' or 'very dissatisfied' with their housing situation.
• Inuit children were six times more likely than non-Aboriginal children to live in crowded homes (43% compared with 7%). Higher percentages of Inuit children were also living in homes requiring major repairs (29%), compared to 8% of non-Aboriginal children.
• Among First Nations children living off reserve, 18% were living in homes requiring major repairs as were 15% of Métis children.

Parents and guardians reported relatively high levels of satisfaction with their support networks from family, friends and others.

• The parents and guardians of 90% of First Nations children, 93% of Métis children and 89% of Inuit children reported that they were 'very satisfied' or 'satisfied' with the social supports available from family, friends and others.
• Unlike the ratings in satisfaction with finances and housing situation, where there were large differences between those in low-income families and those not living in low-income families, there were little to no differences in levels of satisfaction with support networks (support from family, friends and others) between those in low-income families and those not living in low income families (for First Nations children living off reserve and Métis children).

Although parents and guardians of First Nations and Métis children were generally satisfied with many aspects of their community as a place to raise children, they were less satisfied with access to activities and services that promote traditional and cultural values and customs.

• At least half of off-reserve First Nations and Métis children were living in communities rated as 'excellent' or 'very good' by their parents or guardians in terms of good schools and adequate facilities for children. By comparison, about one in six were living in communities rated as 'excellent' or 'very good' as a place with Aboriginal cultural activities.
• About 45% of First Nations children living off reserve and 31% of Métis children had someone to help them understand their Aboriginal culture.
• In 2006, 24% of First Nations children and 14% of Métis children currently receiving child care were in an arrangement that promotes traditional and cultural values and customs.

Inuit children appear to have more access to cultural activities than their First Nations and Métis counterparts.

• Inuit children within Inuit Nunaat⁴ were more likely to have parents or guardians who reported that their community was 'excellent' or 'very good' as a place with cultural activities (31%) compared to First Nations children living off reserve (17%) and Métis children (16%).
• Of Inuit children in child care, 56% were in arrangements that promoted traditional and cultural values and customs – this was significantly higher than First Nations children living off reserve (24%) and Métis children (14%). In Inuit Nunaat, 70% of children in child care were in arrangements that promoted traditional and cultural values and customs.
• A large proportion of Inuit children (56%), especially those in Inuit Nunaat (63%), had taken part in traditional activities such as drum dancing or gatherings. This is compared to 46% of First Nations children living off reserve and 28% of Métis children.

Introduction

Aboriginal children make up an increasing proportion of all children in Canada, and there has been increased attention to the importance of early childhood as setting the stage for life's prospects (Canadian Council on Learning, 2007). There has been a lack of data on young Aboriginal children. To address data gaps, the Aboriginal Children's Survey (ACS) was developed by Statistics Canada and Aboriginal advisors from across the country and conducted jointly with Human Resources and Social Development Canada. The survey provides an extensive set of data about Aboriginal children under six years of age in urban, rural, and northern locations across Canada. These data can be used to better understand the social and living conditions in which Aboriginal children are learning and growing and will help inform policy decisions that affect the lives of Aboriginal children.

This survey was developed with the direct participation of parents, front-line workers, early childhood educators, researchers, various Aboriginal organizations and others. A Technical Advisory Group (TAG), consisting of specialists in Aboriginal early childhood development and representing diverse Aboriginal backgrounds, was established to provide guidance on the development and implementation of the survey. Based on recommendations from the TAG, the ACS was designed to be holistic in nature, collecting information on a wide range of topics, including children's health, sleep, nutrition, development, nurturing, child care, schooling, language, behaviour, and activities. Since the children's environment is important to their development and well-being, some information was collected on the children's parent(s) or guardian(s) and their neighbourhood or community.

Setting the context

According to the 2006 Census, there were approximately 7,000 Inuit, 35,000 Métis and 47,000 off-reserve First Nations children under the age of six across Canada⁵.

According to a Statistics Canada report (2008), the Aboriginal population is growing quickly, at a rate that outpaces that of the rest of the Canadian population. Aboriginal children are a growing proportion among all children in Canada, particularly in some western provinces and in the Territories. For example, in Saskatchewan, Aboriginal people represent 10% of the total provincial off-reserve population; however, Aboriginal children under six years old represent 20% of all Saskatchewan's children under six years old (off reserve). (chart 1)

This brief analysis examines the following themes: family, community, and child care. It is designed as a starting point to understanding the circumstances under which Aboriginal children are living and growing. The report is divided into three parts: Part 1 discusses these themes for First Nations children living off reserve, Part 2 for Métis children, and Part 3 for Inuit children.

The Aboriginal Children Survey (ACS), as a post-censal survey, was designed to deepen our understanding of broad trends outlined by the Census. As such, both ACS and Census data are included throughout this report. Comparative statements were included only where differences were significant at the 5% level.

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Notes:

1. Children were identified as 'North American Indian'; however the term "First Nations children" is used throughout this report.
2. Indian settlements and reserves were excluded in the 10 provinces. All First Nations, Métis and Inuit children living in the Yukon and Northwest Territories were included in the target population for the survey. In total, the 2006 Census enumerated approximately 131,000 Aboriginal children under the age of six about 40,000 lived on reserve and 91,000 lived off reserve. (A reserve is land set apart and designated for the use and occupancy of an Indian group or band as such, the terms "on-reserve" or "off-reserve" are generally not applicable to Métis or Inuit). The 91,000 children included 47,000 First Nations children living off reserve, 35,000 Métis children, 7,000 Inuit children and approximately 2,000 who children were either identified as belonging to more than one Aboriginal identity group or were reported to be treaty or registered Indians and / or members of an Indian band or First Nation that did not identify with an Aboriginal group. Census counts have been used to describe the number of Inuit, Métis and off-reserve First Nations children rather than the counts stemming from the Aboriginal Children's Survey for consistency with previously released Census data. Please refer the "Aboriginal Children's Survey 2006: Concepts and Methods Guide" for a detailed explanation of the relationship between the Aboriginal Children's Survey and the Census (catalogue number 89-634).
3. Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA) are formed by one or more adjacent municipalities centered on a large urban area (known as the urban core). A census metropolitan area must have a total population of at least 100,000 of which 50,000 or more must live in the urban core.
4. Four regions comprise Inuit Nunaat which means "Inuit homeland" in the Inuit language. These four regions are: Nunatsiavut in northern Labrador, Nunavik in northern Quebec, the territory of Nunavut, and the Inuvialuit region in the Northwest Territories.
5. Indian settlements and reserves were excluded in the 10 provinces. All First Nations, Métis and Inuit children living in the Yukon and Northwest Territories were included in the target population for the survey. In total, the 2006 Census enumerated approximately 131,000 Aboriginal children under the age of six about 40,000 lived on reserve and 91,000 lived off reserve. (A reserve is land set apart and designated for the use and occupancy of an Indian group or band as such, the terms "on-reserve" or "off-reserve" are generally not applicable to Métis or Inuit.) The 91,000 children included: 47,000 First Nations children living off reserve, 35,000 Métis children, 7,000 Inuit children and approximately 2,000 children who were either identified as belonging to more than one Aboriginal identity group or were reported to be treaty or registered Indians and / or members of an Indian band or First Nation that did not identify with an Aboriginal group. Census counts have been used to describe the number of Inuit, Métis and off-reserve First Nations children rather than the counts stemming from the Aboriginal Children's Survey (ACS) for consistency with previously released Census data. Please refer the "ACS 2006: Concepts and Methods Guide" for a detailed explanation of the relationship between the ACS and the Census (catalogue number 89-634).

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