The information in this profile was taken from traditional objective sources such as census data, vital statistics, hospital statistics, and population-based surveys - both national and provincial. The findings are presented in eight chapters. The first gives an overview of the demographic and social conditions children live in today. The next four chapters reflect the successive stages of development: infancy, preschool, school age, and youth. The final three chapters deal with the health of disadvantaged children, of Aboriginal children and of children with disabilities.

Each chapter concludes with a discussion that identifies areas of emphasis that we need to focus on. It suggests expected goals and identifies strategies that we can use to achieve these goals.