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 UEYA.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 DeerMay 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 YearsBoundaries 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 data2. 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-being2. Social competence3. Emotional maturity4. Language and cognitive development5. 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

www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/hip/sd/300_UEYInfo.shtml

Family Services of Central Alberta

www.fsca.ca