Transcript Document

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 teachercompleted 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
B. Building Knowledge
•
Children’s development and
experiences
•
Community Research Report
and EDI Report
•
Early Development Instrument
(EDI)
•
Community Mapping Report
•
Parent Interviews and Direct
Assessment of Children (PIDACS)
•
Community Action Plan
•
Inventory of community
programs and services
•
Local socio-economic
characteristics
(Diagram created by National UEY)
C. Enabling Communities
•
Transferring knowledge
•
Working together to act on the
knowledge
•
Strengthening the ability to
make decisions
What has UEY Research Shown?
Findings from Previous UEY Communities:

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.
What has UEY Research Shown?
Findings from Previous UEY Communities (cont’d):

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.
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?
Collecting local research data is critical to UEY Red Deer as it:

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
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
Setting the Stage with Ongoing Activities
to be Implemented Throughout the Project

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
Gathering Data about Programs and Services

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.
First Year UEY Mapping Report

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
Local Socio-Economic Characteristics:
Census Data

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
Insights from Community Mapping


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
Year Two of the UEY Project in Red Deer
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
The Early Development Instrument (EDI)

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
Parent Interviews and Direct Assessments of
Children (PIDACS)

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 )
Analyzing the Research Results
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
Year Three of the UEY Project in Red Deer
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
Developing a Community Action Plan

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!
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
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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
www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/hip/sd/300_UEYI
nfo.shtml
Family Services of Central Alberta
www.fsca.ca