Presenters: Donna Morrison and Laurie Lafortune Alberta Understanding the Early Years Conference: October, 2008

Major Partners

What is UEY?  A national initiative funded by Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC)  Looks at kindergarten children through the use of a teacher- completed questionnaire (EDI) and a more in-depth assessment of a sample of parents and children (PIDACS).  Enables community members to understand the needs of young children and their families and to work together to address those needs Seeks to answer the questions:  What local resources, programs and services are available to support young children and their families in our communities?  What family and community factors influence the development and readiness to learn of the kindergarten children in Red Deer?

Why is this initiative important?  The early years are critical for children’s development and well-being.  A child’s family and community are key influences on overall development.  Research and knowledge are needed to guide programs and policies that enhance early childhood development.  Effective communities engage their citizens and utilize resources in creative collaborative ways to address challenges.

Key Components of UEY A.Gathering Information Children’s development and experiences Early Development Instrument (EDI) Parent Interviews and Direct Assessment of Children (PIDACS) Inventory of community programs and services Local socio-economic characteristics B. Building Knowledge Community Research Report and EDI Report Community Mapping Report Community Action Plan C. Enabling Communities Transferring knowledge Working together to act on the knowledge Strengthening the ability to make decisions (Diagram created by National UEY)

What has UEY Research Shown?  No one family or community factor is the magic answer for improving children’s development.  Positive childhood outcomes are found in families that function well in the following areas: Parents who use positive approaches to parenting. Families who are involved in learning activities. Families who utilize community programs and resources. Families who are in good mental health. Families who have a high level of social support and live in communities where neighbours support each other. Findings from Previous UEY Communities:

 An increased community understanding of the importance of the early years.  An increase in community involvement in early childhood development from parents, educators, businesses, governments.  New and strengthened relationships with communities. Findings from Previous UEY Communities (cont’d): What has UEY Research Shown?

Examples of Accomplishments in Previous UEY Communities  New playgrounds  Pre-school programs increased  Community ‘Champions’ identified and engaged  Re-organization of Ontario Early Years Centres’ programs  Cross-sector coalition to address addiction issues  Food charter  Mom’s Groups  Readiness centers and literacy program

Why should we get involved?  Provides information on our children’s development and well-being  Generates knowledge of what helps the early development of children: the extent and nature of family and community factors  Identifies challenges that children and families are facing and gaps in programs and services for families  Mobilizes the city to create effective, creative, comprehensive responses to identified needs Collecting local research data is critical to UEY Red Deer as it:

Year One of the UEY Project in Red Deer May 2007 – March 2008 (Completed)  Hired project staff and formed an Advisory Committee  Developed Communications and Knowledge Transfer Plan  Completed UEY Mapping Report, with base-line socio-economic data and current inventory of community programs and services data (no EDI or PIDACS data for this first version)  Published Parent Directory: Inventory of community programs & services  Developed parent information letter and permission forms about the UEY project  Developed presentation materials

Understanding the Early Years Boundaries for Red Deer

 Work with the community to develop an understanding of and commitment to the UEY project  Support and strengthen the community coalition  Communicate the importance of the early years  Share UEY project results on an ongoing basis  Develop tools and products to assist parents and others to better understand early childhood development Setting the Stage with Ongoing Activities to be Implemented Throughout the Project

 Focusing on features of the community: Collecting community asset information  This data was mapped by local UEY staff Ongoing analysis:  Determining the areas in which these resources, programs and services are located and how they are used by families.  Discovering barriers to their use and identifying gaps in assets in some areas of the city. Gathering Data about Programs and Services

 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software used to create maps using data from: 1.Community-level census data and other data 2.Inventory of programs and services for young children and families  Report includes a description of the project and of the community, as well as an analysis of the maps and directions for the next phase of the project  Developed as baseline for our community – without EDI data for first version First Year UEY Mapping Report

 Census data at specific community or neighbourhood levels indicates the socio-economic context of communities, in the areas of employment rate, average income level, education level of parents, family status, residents’ mobility, language, home ownership, immigrant population, and reliance on government transfers  This data was mapped for the baseline mapping report Local Socio-Economic Characteristics: Census Data

 Provides visual information on: Physical and socio-economic characteristics of the neighbourhoods in which children live Kinds of programs and services that are available to children aged six (6) and younger and where these programs are located  Helps gain a greater understanding of: Whether resources are in close proximity to where children live Whether there is equitable distribution of key resources The most effective way for the community to plan, prioritize and allocate resources for child development Insights from Community Mapping

April 2008 – March 2009  Ensure EDI and PIDACS data collection is completed Participate in EDI and PIDACS information sessions Liaise with contractors and schools as requested during data collections  Continue to develop reader-friendly research products  Seek out opportunities to interact with other provincial and national early learning projects Year Two of the UEY Project in Red Deer

 Developed by the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University  Completed by kindergarten teachers for each child in their classes  Designed to assess how children are faring as a group in a community in the following five domains of early development: 1.Physical health and well-being 2.Social competence 3.Emotional maturity 4.Language and cognitive development 5.Communication skills and general knowledge  Examines how well children are prepared to participate in formal school activities The Early Development Instrument (EDI)

 Uses instruments designed and adapted for five-year-olds in the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY)  Has two complementary components: parent questionnaire and three direct assessments of children  Collects information from a parent or guardian regarding: kindergarten child’s development, family, child care and other community experiences (1 hour telephone interview)  Child completes three activities to assess his or her cognitive development: identifies pictures, reproduces shapes, and works with numbers (30 minutes with an assessor, at school ) Parent Interviews and Direct Assessments of Children (PIDACS)

The results of the three research activities (EDI, PIDACS, and Community Mapping) are analyzed to:  Measure children’s early development before they enter school  Show how family and community influences have an impact on child development in the early years  Profile the types and availability of community resources for families and children  Assess how well the needs of families with young children are being met  Learn more about how research can be used at the local level to bring about improvements for children Analyzing the Research Results

April 2009 – March 2010  Receive Early Development Instrument (EDI) Report from the Offord Centre at McMaster University  Receive Community Research Report from independent contractor  Share results with community and seek their input  Develop Community Action Plan  Continue to develop and share reader-friendly research dissemination products  Complete final evidence-based research report Year Three of the UEY Project in Red Deer

 Involve a coalition of community partners - “Children’s Working Group” - in discussing the research findings  Develop a working plan that will improve the well-being of families in our community and positively impact the readiness of children to learn in kindergarten programs  Put the plan into ACTION! Developing a Community Action Plan

Activities, Projects and Materials to Raise Awareness of the Importance of the Early Years “ Show and Tell” of what we have accomplished so far...  Media Releases  Brochures  Parent Directory (Inventory of Community Programs and Services)  Welcome to Kindergarten Bags  Book Marks (Free and low cost summer activities)  Child Development Chart and Activities  Participation in related projects through coalitions with community groups DISCUSSION : Sharing Ideas about activities, projects and materials to build awareness of the importance of the early years and early childhood development in your communities ….

Human Resources and Social Development Canada nfo.shtml Family Services of Central Alberta