Registered Starlight Family Data

When children leave the hospital but continue to battle illness, we also offer outpatient support to around 2,000 families registered in our out-of-hospital programs.

Ongoing data trends from 2021-2023 show a steady 12% annual increase of new Starlight families registering into our programs each year. Applications showed that our top 2 referral streams to our programs came from 1) friends/other Starlight families and 2) through medical professional recommendations. With a majority of our Starlight families being based in Ontario and Quebec, our future goals are to expand our reach nationally to support even more families with seriously ill children in other provinces. To do so, we have supplied information pamphlets to Child Life Specialists to hand out in hospitals to help spread the word and provide new resources.

AGE BREAKDOWN:
BY GENDER

Age 0-5: 5.7%

     Female: 50%
     Male: 48.8%
     Unidentified: 1.1%

Age 6-12: 41.9%

     Female: 43.6%
     Male: 52.4%
     Unidentified: 2.1%

Age 13-18: 52.3%

     Female: 39.4%
     Male: 54.1%
     Unidentified: 6.4%

AGE BREAKDOWN:
BY LANGUAGE

Age 0-5: 5.7%

     English: 66.6%
     French: 25.5%
     Bilingual: 7.7%

Age 6-12: 41.9%

     English: 58%
     French: 22.7%
     Bilingual: 3.4%
Other/Unknown: 15.6%

Age 13-18: 52.3%

     English: 48.4%
     French: 16.7%
     Bilingual: 2.3%
Other/Unknown: 32.4%

Empowering Inclusion: Starlight Canada’s Commitment to Diverse Abilities and Needs

Supporting children who live with an illness or disability is a vital aspect of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Acknowledging the different abilities and health conditions of each child, Starlight Canada’s programs reach a diverse group, while catering to the wide range of their specific needs and experiences.

Families with sick, differently abled, or hospitalized children often face societal, financial, and emotional barriers. Our mission is to ensure fair and equal opportunities for these communities to better their mental well-being. Through accessible and inclusive programs that spread joy from hospital to home, we foster a sense of belonging to prevent these children from feeling isolated or excluded because of their health conditions.