1. MOVING TO ACTION With MDI Results KEY MESSAGE:
The purpose of HELP’s middle years research is to gain a deeper understanding of how children are doing at this stage in their lives. Children’s perspectives on their experiences both inside and outside of school provide information to support evidence-based decisions on funding allocations, program delivery, and policy development. Here are a few insights into how you may be able to move to action with your MDI results.
Skateboarding by snre - Flickr CC Attribution

2. Who uses MDI Data Community Planners Funding Agencies Children
Children’s Organizations
Parents
Policy Makers
Sports and Recreation Associations
Health Agencies
Educators

3. Engage in Conversations
KEY MESSAGE:
Review your MDI report with as many people as possible: children, parents, teachers, school administrators, after-school program staff, local early/ middle childhood committees, librarians, parks and recreation staff, local government and other community stakeholders. Increasing local dialogue on the importance of child well-being in the middle years is an excellent way to start improving outcomes for children.
You may need to start by introducing audiences to the MDI project, the survey and the results. Start by highlighting examples of successes in your local MDI results. Ask people to think about whether or not their local MDI results might change their practice, inform their work or help them advocate for changes they wish to see. Identify school and community champions and create an action plan that involves participation from everyone.

4. Think BIG
but Start Small
KEY MESSAGE:
The MDI provides a breadth of rich data. It is very easy to feel overwhelmed by all of the potential ways that schools, communities and governments could begin using the data to improve child well-being. Moving to action will be more successful if you are able to focus your efforts on 1 or 2 areas for improvement instead of trying to change everything all at once.

5. KEY MESSAGE:
Involve children in the interpretation of the data where possible. Explore opportunities to collect feedback from children on how both the school and the community can better serve their needs. Ask children of all ages for suggestions on how to improve their school climate and after-school experiences. Teachers may wish to incorporate the interpretation of MDI data into their classroom curriculum. Children tend to offer surprisingly creative solutions that can often be implemented easily and at no cost.
Involve Children

6. Learn from the Success of Others
KEY MESSAGE:
Review MDI data from other neighbourhoods within your school district. Do you see examples of success that you would like to replicate? Arrange to meet with local champions or leaders from these areas to discuss the specific actions they have taken to improve child well-being. Likewise, you may want to consider sharing your success with others who are working in nearby schools and neighbourhoods.

7. Access MDI Reports & Maps
MDI REPORTS:
Data collected from the MDI questionnaires are combined in order to create reports for three different levels of geography: school, neighbourhood, and school district.
School Reports– Contain data specific to the population of children who participated in the MDI at an individual school. These reports are internal and are not released publicly. School reports can be shared with teachers, parents, and community partners at the discretion of the school district administration.
School District and Community Reports - Contain data representing all of the children who were surveyed within a school district. Data are aggregated and averages are reported at both the school district and the neighbourhood levels:
• School district data - Averages are reported for all children who participated within the geographic school district boundary.
• Neighbourhood data -Averages are reported for all children living within a particular neighbourhood. These data are aggregated using children’s home postal codes, not by where they attend school.
School District and Community Reports are made publicly available at:
A Guide to Understanding MDI data: HELP has created a companion document called “A Guide to Understanding your MDI Results” to help answer questions about the MDI and its application in schools and communities, including: When and why was the MDI created? How are MDI questionnaires collected and stored? How are the data analyzed and scores calculated? The guide provides additional information and ideas on moving to action with your MDI results. The guide is available on the HELP website:
© 2015 Human Early Learning Partnership

8. Check Out the MDI Toolkit
KEY MESSAGE:
The Human Early Learning Partnership has created an online ‘Tools for Action’: a source for resources that will help schools and communities interpret and act upon the data included in the MDI reports. You will find videos, worksheets, slide decks, print resources and examples of how other communities have used their MDI data to move to action.

9. Create an MDI Presentation
KEY MESSAGE:
Download a series of slide decks that will support presentations on local MDI results.

10. Read more about MDI Research
KEY MESSAGE:
Read academic publications related to the MDI. Find out more about the science of social-emotional well-being in middle childhood.

11. Access our Video Library
KEY MESSAGE:
The MDI toolkit includes several videos featuring HELP’s Director, Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl. For more than 20 years, Kim’s research has focused on the social and emotional learning (SEL) and development of children, with a particular emphasis on fostering children’s empathy, altruism, and resiliency. Kim was instrumental in the process of developing the MDI, in partnership with HELP and the United Way of the Lower Mainland.

12. Design a Workshop
KEY MESSAGE:
Download worksheets from the MDI toolkit website to help you design a workshop for your co-workers or community members that will help you explore your district, neighbourhood or school-level MDI data.