Child skills

Child skills are not currently measured in a nationally comparable way for younger children. In the absence of comparable national data, the indicator is measured using predictors of children's skills. The first indicator examines time spent reading, an activity strongly associated with the development of early literacy skills. The second focuses on school absenteeism, which is a known predictor of difficulties with learning and school engagement.

• Time spent reading or looking at books for enjoyment among children aged 1 to 5.
• School absenteeism among students aged 6 to 11.

Time spent reading or looking at books for enjoyment among children aged 1 to 5

The importance of early engagement in literacy and its positive impacts on school readiness and skills later in life have been well documented in research.

Reading books with preschoolers has been shown to be related to literacy skills. One meta-analysis showed that shared book reading with preschoolers is related to higher reading achievement during the early school years (Bus et al., 1995), and another review showed a modest effect between shared book reading with preschoolers and language and literacy skills (Scarborough & Dobrich, 1994).

More recently, Sénéchal and LeFevre developed the Home Literacy Model (Sénéchal & LeFevre, 2014), in which the home literacy environment consists of informal and formal literacy experiences. Informal literacy experiences are those where print is present but is not the focus of the parent–child interaction. In contrast, formal literacy activities involve interactions in which the parent and child attend directly to the printed text.

Findings from a range of studies are consistent with the predictions of the Home Literacy Model: informal literacy experiences such as shared reading have a robust association with general aspects of children's knowledge and language, and parental involvement in teaching or tutoring literacy skills has a reliable association with early literacy skills such as word reading (Hood et al., 2008; Sénéchal & LeFevre, 2002).

The following proposed survey question is intended to be used to measure the amount of time parents have engaged with their children on reading activities.

In the past 7 days, how much time did your child spend reading or looking at books or stories for enjoyment with you or on their own?

• No time
• Less than 1 hour
• 1 hour to less than 3 hours
• 3 hours to less than 7 hours
• 7 hours to less than 14 hours
• 14 hours or more

This question relates to informal literacy experiences which predict development in general aspects of children's knowledge and language.

School absenteeism among students aged 6 to 11

School absenteeism remains understudied in Canada, despite its well-documented negative consequences (Birioukov, 2021). A UK-based study found that absenteeism was linked to poorer exam performance, lower levels of well-being, and higher unemployment rates later in life (Attwood & Croll, 2015).

Chronic school absenteeism is widely defined as missing over 10% of the school year (Rogers et al., 2025). Studies have shown that school attendance problems and absenteeism are associated with unhealthy functioning across the academic, socio–emotional, mental health, physical health, family, school, and community domains (Kearney et al., 2023). Accordingly, absenteeism may reflect the influence of upstream factors, including socio-emotional challenges, health conditions, disabilities, and family or contextual circumstances, despite its adverse implications for learning and skill development.

The following proposed survey question is intended to be used to measure student absenteeism.

During the last school year, how often was your child absent from school?

• Rarely (a few days total)
• Sometimes (about once a month)
• Often (2–3 times per month)
• Very often (once a week or more)

While administrative attendance records could offer an objective measure of absenteeism, nationally comparable data are not currently available. Opportunities to incorporate harmonized administrative data will continue to be explored as a potential longer‑term enhancement or alternative to this indicator.

Currently under review

Developing strong foundational skills in childhood is essential for lifelong learning and well‑being. Quality education supports socioeconomic mobility, promotes equality, and contributes to healthier, more inclusive, and more peaceful societies, which are key aims of the Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education.

With the development or identification of new data sources, future iterations of this indicator may incorporate more direct measures of child skills.

Statistics Canada does not prescribe fixed age boundaries for "childhood" and "adolescence" across its statistical programs. Within the Quality of Life Framework, the age cutoff has therefore been determined pragmatically, based on the characteristics of possible data sources for each indicator.

Distinguishing between child skills and adolescent skills is not conceptually clear-cut, as the transition from childhood to adolescence occurs along a developmental continuum and varies across individuals. For the Child Skills indicator, questions may be proposed for consideration in future iterations of the Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (CHSCY). In this survey, parents or guardians respond on behalf of children aged 1 to 11, while youth aged 12 and older self-report. An upper age limit of 11 was selected to ensure conceptual and methodological coherence, as estimates for this age group are consistently parent-reported. This approach would help ensure internal consistency across sub-indicators while maintaining a clear distinction from the separate Adolescent Skills indicator.

Accordingly, the school absenteeism sub-indicator covers ages 6 to 11, reflecting compulsory school ages within the parent-reported range and aligning with the upper bound of childhood as operationalized for this indicator. The reading sub-indicator focuses on early childhood (ages 1 to 5), a developmental period widely identified in the research literature as foundational for later literacy and skill acquisition. Although the indicator definition centres on ages 1 to 5, data on time spent reading among children aged 6 to 11 will also be made available on the Quality of Life Hub for reference.

The Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP) measures the skills of students in 8th grade (in Quebec, Secondary II) in science, mathematics, and reading. The assessment is run every three years and focuses on one of these subjects as their major subject area, but it also assesses two other subject areas. This measurement source aligns more closely with the adolescent age group. Further information on PCAP can be found in the Additional Information section of the Adolescent Skills indicator page.

The provinces and territories have programs or plans to assess literacy, mathematics, and other skills at various grade levels. Further information can be found on the websites below:

• Nova Scotia Assessments
• Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Reading and Mathematics Assessments (PRMA)
• Prince Edward Island Provincial student assessment
• New Brunswick Assessment and Evaluation
• Quebec ministerial examinations
• Ontario EQAO Assessments
• Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning
• Alberta Provincial Achievement Tests
• Saskatchewan Student Assessment Program
• British Columbia Foundation Skills Assessment
• Nunavut Ilitaunnikuliriniq: Student Assessment and Success
• Yukon Graduation assessment
• Northwest Territories Student Assessment Approaches and Tools