EDI Newsletter What we are learning from Early Development Instrument data EDI data have been collected in B.C. for over 10 years. HELP most often reports the proportion of children who are vulnerable – or behind where we would expect them to be – on one or more scales of the EDI. With EDI data, we know that 32.5% of B.C. Kindergarten children are vulnerable in one or more aspects of their development. These children live in every neighbourhood in B.C. The highest number of vulnerable children live in our most numerous middle class neighbourhoods. In recent data, we see the most children doing well in their ABC’s and 123’s. Results show that the highest levels of vulnerability are on the social, emotional and physical scales. Supporting children is everyone’s responsibility. Knowing how children are faring in the province means that communities and governments are able to better provide the right supports and services for communities and young children. For more information on how HELP determines the vulnerability rate, see the Vulnerability Factsheet at earlylearning.ubc.ca/ediparent WHAT IS THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT INSTRUMENT (EDI) The Early Development Instrument (EDI) is a questionnaire filled in by kindergarten teachers with the support of the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP). The information collected helps us to see how young children are developing. Teachers complete an EDI for each child in their class in February. The EDI is a population-level research tool. It measures changes or trends in whole populations of children, like a child development census. It is not used to report on the development of individual children. The EDI questionnaire measures children’s development in five areas: • Physical Health & Well-Being • Social Competence • Emotional Maturity • Language & Cognitive Skills • Communication Skills & General Knowledge The questions ask about developmental stages that we would expect children to be at as they start school. For example, whether a child can hold a pencil or share with others. Human Early Learning Partnership TEL 604-822-1278 FAX 604-822-0640 www.earlylearning.ubc.ca Helping Children and Families Thrive Website: earlylearning.ubc.ca Website for Parents: earlylearning.ubc.ca/ediparent COMMUNITY STORIES DAWSON CREEK In Dawson Creek, early child development stakeholders Gloria Cleve and Heidy Kux-Kardos used EDI data and local resources to educate the municipal government on the need to create an indoor play space for young children to use throughout the long winters. NORTH VANCOUVER In North Vancouver, EDI results provided the catalyst to create better supports and services for families. The results allowed community early child development stakeholders, like Fran Jones, to show that even in B.C.’s most affluent neighbourhoods there were a number of vulnerable children. Because of this recognition, the North Shore was able to provide increased services and supports for vulnerable and hard to reach families with young children. The WHEELS Outreach Project is one of several successful such programs. Urie Bronfenbrenner: Every child requires someone in his or her life who is absolutely crazy about them. WHY DO THE EARLY YEARS MATTER? Who we are born to and how healthy we are at birth affect how healthy and well we will be through our entire lives. But our life-long health and well-being are also determined by our experiences in the first few years of life. We now know that how we live as a young child affects the architecture of our brains: whether we have plenty or live in poverty; whether we experience stress as young children; whether we live in a nurturing family or not. Everything that a child experiences affects their brain development: noise, light, food and the touch, voice and smell of caregivers. The relationship between caregivers and children plays a very important role in aHuman child development. Early 700 neural connections are formed per second in the first few years of a child’s life. These connections form the foundation of all later learning, behaviour, and health. WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION? HELP strives to provide a variety of resources to help you better understand the EDI. Maps, EDI results, Fact Sheets and Community Summaries can be found on the HELP website: earlylearning.ubc.ca In addition, HELP works closely with local School District and community champions who are available to answer any questions you may have about Learning Partnership TEL 604-822-1278 EDI CONTACTS FAX 604-822-0640 www.earlylearning.ubc.ca Gillian Corless EDI Manager [email protected] 604 822 1836 Maddison Spenrath EDI Coordinator [email protected] 604 827 5504 the EDI. You can find these contacts on your School District’s community summary. An EDI Parent Page has also been set up, so you can find the information that has been most requested by parents, including factsheets and videos: earlylearning.ubc.ca/ediparent
© Copyright 2024 ExpyDoc
