What is the cost of raising children?
March 7, 2017
Understanding the true cost of raising a child in Canada is complex and requires significant improvements to better inform the development of social policy on child and family poverty, according to a new report released March 7 by Campaign 2000.
“Right now, we don’t have official estimates of what it costs to raise children,” says Anita Khanna, Campaign 2000 national co-ordinator. “Calculating the real cost of raising children is central to crafting evidence-based child poverty reduction policies that support the healthy development of children.”
Report authors Dr. Dana Bazarkulova, Dr. Karen Duncan and Dr. Sid Frankel provide a comprehensive analysis and present the advantages and disadvantages of various methods used to calculate the costs families face. They note the costs of raising children can differ from one family to another based on ethno-cultural practices, geographic location, disability and the health status of children. The report highlights that different types of estimates are best used for different purposes.
Read the full report in English or French and check out the infographic summary.
Media releases are also available in French or English.
In the News:
Toronto Star: Canada urged to calculate how much it costs to raise children
Globe and Mail: Study says no firm estimate on costs to raise a family a problem for government