Understanding the Early Years Action Planning Session Thursday, May 22, 2008 Delta Brunswick Hotel Saint John, NB

Objectives for today Share wealth of knowledge in our community with respect to ‘early years’ Connect with community partners- past, present and future Contribute to UEY Community Action Plan: evidence-based, relevant, living, breathing document

According to Dr. Fraser Mustard… “The quality and capacity of our future population depends on what we do now to support early child development.”

Why UEY? UEY’s overall purpose is to enable members of a community to work together to address the needs of young children by: raising family and community awareness of the many and varied factors that influence child development enhancing our ability to use local data to help make decisions to enhance children’s lives. Generate data to build knowledge to enable community!

How does UEY work? Data collection Parents’ and teachers’ perspectives on development of kindergarten children Direct assessment results on children’s cognitive abilities Parents’ perspectives on family circumstances and children’s experiences Local info on programs and services Local socioeconomic characteristics

Step 1: Early Development Instrument Measures ‘readiness for school’ Survey completed by K teachers in for each child in class (n~800) 5 domains: Physical health and well-being Social competence Emotional maturity Language and cognitive development Communication skills and general knowledge

EDI Participation: 2006

EDI: things to remember… Single snapshot of one group of children: K students, SD 8, EDI is a population measure, not an individual assessment Data from EDI is useful, but does not answer ‘why?’ Best used with other valid, reliable data

UEY-SJ vs. National Sample

Percentage of Vulnerable Children

Multiple Challenge Index

Mapping the EDI Mapping is the visual representation of data by geography or location, the linking of information to place. Mapping is a powerful tool: it makes patterns based on place much easier to identify and analyze and; it provides a visual way of communicating those patterns to a broad audience, quickly and dramatically.

Step 2: PIDACS PIDACS= Parent Interview and Direct Assessment of Children Survey PIDACS based on National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (see for more information) UEY-SJ area families with K children, , n~800, response rate > 83%

How are children doing in SJ?

Family and Community Supports for Early Childhood Development

Family Characteristics

Children’s Participation in Community Activities

How about the TV?

Use of Educational Resources

Use of Entertainment and Cultural Resources

Use of Recreational Resources

Barriers to Use of Programs and Resources Parents unaware the program or service was available (#1) Transportation issues (#2) Also: finding a convenient time, having time to participate and availability of programs for children this age

Use of Childcare Arrangements No child-care arrangement: 38% (vs. 43%) More than one type of care: 31% (vs. 48%) Total time per week in care: ~15 hours Type of care most frequently used: Someone else’s home by a non-relative Someone else’s home by a relative In own home by a relative

Neighbourhood Characteristics

Step 3: Census 2001 Data Variables include: Family Income Parents’ Employment Parents’ Level of Education Family Structure

Family Income

Parents’ Employment

Parents’ Level of Education

Family Structure

What makes GSJ unique? SJ children had below-average scores (UEY-21) on receptive vocabulary and number knowledge BUT, average score on test of early literacy was considerably above Canadian average (?) SJ children had scores well below national average on 4 of 5 measures on EDI- exception was language and cognitive development

What makes GSJ unique? SJ families had relatively low incomes, even though most parents worked outside the home 1 in 3 children live in families with incomes below $30,000 1 in 4 children live in single-parent families Parents had relatively high levels of education, yet the average level of SES in SJ is very low

What makes GSJ unique? High levels of positive parenting practices and engagement with their children Safe neighbourhoods, good schools, adequate recreation and health facilities Family members, friends and neighbours who help them feel safe, secure and happy **NEED MICRODATA!**

Conclusion UEY is a starting point for Greater Saint John in identifying strengths and needs among our children age 0-5 and their families Next steps? Public consultation on results-to-date leading to input on development of UEY Community Action Plan

Questions? Let’s take a break!