Mapping Early Child Development

1
Mapping Early Child Development

• School Districts 33 and 78
• Eastern Fraser Valley
• Summary 2002

Summary information is derived from The Early
Child Development Mapping Project This
project is administered by the Human Early
Learning Partnership (HELP) with funding from the
BC Ministry of Children and Family Development
2
What is the Early Child Development Mapping
Project?

• Includes mapping of
• childrens readiness for school,
• socioeconomic characteristics of communities,
• location of community assets (e.g. location of
  child care centres, literacy programs, etc).
• Helps communities monitor early child development
  and create effective community based responses
  that support the needs of children and families.

3
Mapping School Readiness

• Measuring childrens readiness for school is
  important because it reflects childrens early
  development and it can predict their performance
  later in life.
• A key component is the Early Development
  Instrument (EDI), a research tool that assesses
  childrens readiness to participate in and
  benefit from school activities.

4
The Early Development Instrument (EDI)

• The EDI is a checklist that kindergarten teachers
  complete for each child in their class after they
  have known them for several months.
• The EDI has been found to have promising validity
  for use with children from different cultures,
  including Aboriginal children.
• Results from the EDI are only interpreted at the
  level of school or neighbourhood. Individual
  assessment is not done.

5
Five EDI Subscales

• The EDI measures a childs development in 5
  areas
•       communication skills and general knowledge,
•       emotional maturity,
•       language and cognitive development,
•       physical health and well being,
• social competence.
• Children who score in the bottom 10 of all
  scores are considered vulnerable within the
  given developmental area.

6
Where has the EDI been administered in BC?
7
For School Districts which participated in the
EDI mapping project

• we have prepared neighbourhood maps to show
  results of EDI mapping.
• we have prepared maps illustrating selected
  socioeconomic characteristics of the community.
• with assistance from communities, we will
  generate and post electronic maps of community
  assets.

8
Number of Students per study area Early
Development Instrument, 2002
9
Number of Students per study area Early
Development Instrument, 2002
10
Neighbourhoods and EDI data for k-students

• Neighbourhood Name EDI completed ( of
  K-students)
• Agassiz/Harrison/Kent 50
• Hope/Upper Fraser Valley 52
• Cultus Lake and Surrounding Area 33
• Rosedale/Northeast 67
• Downtown Chilliwack 308
• Greendale/Yarrow/Chilliwack Mtn 72
• Sardis/Vedder 217
• Promontory 43
• Southeast/Ryder Lake 45

K-kindergarten students (teacher completed
information)
11
Across neighbourhoods, what is the pattern of
vulnerability with respect to readiness to learn?

• For each subscale, there are three types of maps
  depicting readiness to learn data for
  kindergarten children
• - map of average scores per subscale,
• - map of proportion of k-children vulnerable
  per subscale,
• - map of proportion of k-children vulnerable per
  subscale
• based on Vancouver cut-offs.
• What are the differences between these maps?

12
Maps of average scores for each subscale - these
maps represent average raw scores for k-students

• How are average scores derived?
• For each question of each subscale, values are
  assigned, then a mean (average) is calculated
  for subscale questions and the subscale as a
  whole.

For example, for the Communication subscale,
questions 1-7 and 41 of Section B of the EDI as
well as question 26 of Section C would make up
this subscale. - these questions would be
assigned values from 0.0 2.5 5.0
10.0 very poor average good
excellent - means would be calculated for the
questions and an average score would be derived
for this subscale
13
Maps of proportion of k-students vulnerable -
these maps show bottom 10 of scores per
subscale.

• How are percentiles calculated?
• To determine the bottom 10 or vulnerable
  children, a cutoff value is derived from the
  means of the questions for subscales.
• The cutoff separates the bottom 10 of values
  from those percentiles above.
• Scores which fall below the cutoff, are
  categorized as vulnerable or at risk with
  respect to development in a particular area.

14
Communication Skills and General Knowledge

• This subscale measures
• ability to clearly communicate ones own needs
  and understand others,
• clear articulation,
• active participation in story telling,
• interest in general knowledge about the world.

15
Average Score on the Communication Skills and
General Knowledge Subscale of the EDI, 2002
16
Proportion of Students Vulnerable on the
Communication Skills and General Knowledge
Subscale of the EDI, 2002
17
Proportion of Students Vulnerable on the
Communication Skills and General Knowledge
Subscale of the EDI based on Vancouver cut-offs,
2002
18
Communication Skills and General Knowledge
Subscale

• Three neighbourhoods had fewer than 1 of
  children vulnerable on this subscale.
• Downtown Chilliwack had the highest proportion
  (up to 5.37) of children within the vulnerable
  range.
• The range of difference between neighbourhoods
  was smallest on this subscale.
• The range in the Vancouver study was 0 to 16.

19
Emotional Maturity

• This subscale measures
• pro social behaviour helping, tolerance,
  empathy
• as opposed to aggressive behaviour, anxiety,
  hyperactivity, inattention, impulsiveness.

20
Average Score on the Emotional Maturity Subscale
of the EDI, 2002
21
Proportion of Students Vulnerable on the
Emotional Maturity Subscale of the EDI, 2002
22
Proportion of Students Vulnerable on the
Emotional Maturity Subscale of the EDI based on
Vancouver cut-offs, 2002
23
Emotional Maturity Subscale

• The Hope/Upper Fraser Valley neighbourhood had no
  children within the vulnerable range on this
  subscale.
• The Promontory and Greendale/Yarrow
  neighbourhoods also had low proportions of
  vulnerability (0.01 to 1.24).
• Downtown Chilliwack had up to 17.92 of children
  vulnerable.
• The range within the Vancouver study was 2 to 16
  of children vulnerable on this subscale.

24
Language and Cognitive Development

• This subscale measures
• interest in books, reading, and language
• literacy issues
• interest in simple math activities
• numeracy issues.

25
Average Score on the Language and Cognitive
Development Subscale of the EDI, 2002
26
Proportion of Students Vulnerable on the Language
and Cognitive Development Subscale of the EDI,
2002
27
Proportion of Students Vulnerable on the Language
and Cognitive Development Subscale of the EDI
based on Vancouver cut-offs, 2002
28
Language and Cognitive Development Subscale

• The Promontory and Greendale/Yarrow
  neighbourhoods had the lowest proportions of
  children vulnerable on this subscale (2.44 to
  2.49).
• Downtown Chilliwack had up to 19.06 of children
  within the vulnerable range.
• The range within the Vancouver study was 0 to 21.

29
Physical Health and Well-Being

• This subscale measures
• fine and gross motor development,
• levels of energy,
• daily preparedness for school,
• washroom independence,
• established handedness.

30
Average Score on the Physical Health and
Well-Being Subscale of the EDI, 2002
31
Proportion of Students Vulnerable on the Physical
Health and Well-Being Subscale of the EDI, 2002
32
Proportion of Students Vulnerable on the Physical
Health and Well-Being Subscale of the EDI based
on Vancouver cut-offs, 2002
33
Physical Health and Well-Being Subscale

• The majority of neighbourhoods had fewer than
  2.5 of children in the vulnerable range on this
  subscale.
• There were no vulnerable children in the
  Promontory neighbourhood.
• Hope/Upper Fraser Valley and Downtown Chilliwack
  had the highest proportion of vulnerable children
  (up to 17.1).
• The range within the Vancouver study was 0 to
  22.

34
Social Competence

• This subscale measures
• cooperative and respectful to others,
• able to work within the school environment,
• socially appropriate behaviour during school
  activities,
• self control and self confidence.

35
Average Score on the Social Competence Measure of
the EDI, 2002
36
Proportion of Students Vulnerable on the Social
Competence Subscale of the EDI, 2002
37
Proportion of Students Vulnerable on the Social
Competence Subscale of the EDI based on Vancouver
cut-offs, 2002
38
Social Competence Subscale

• The Promontory, Cultus Lake, Sardis/Vedder and
  Greendale/Yarrow/Chilliwack Mountain
  neighbourhoods all had less than 2 of children
  vulnerable on this subscale.
• Downtown Chilliwack again had the highest
  proportion of children within the vulnerable
  range (up to 16.4).
• This is very similar to the range within the
  Vancouver study (1 to 17).

39
Proportion of Students Vulnerable on one or more
Subscales of the EDI, 2002
40
Proportion of Students Vulnerable on one or more
Subscales of the EDI based on Vancouver cut-offs,
2002
41
Proportion of Students Vulnerable on one or more
subscales

• The Greendale/Yarrow/Chilliwack Mountain and
  Promontory areas had the lowest proportion of
  children vulnerable in at least one aspect of
  their development (3.61 to 4.87).
• Sardis/Vedder had between 4.88 and 9.49 of
  children vulnerable. In the Hope/Upper Fraser
  Valley, Southeast/Ryder Lake and
  Rosedale/Northeast areas between 9.5 and 16.47 .
  
• Cultus Lake and Agassiz/Harrison/Kent had between
  16.48 and 20.23 of children vulnerable.
• Downtown Chilliwack had the highest proportion of
  vulnerable children with up to 32.8 .
• The range in the Vancouver study was 6 to 38.

42
Socioeconomic Characteristics

• We know that socioeconomic characteristics have
  an influence on the healthy development of
  children.
• The ECD mapping project compiles socioeconomic
  information by neighbourhood to help us
  understand differences in childrens
  development.
• The socioeconomic data comes from the 1996 census.

43
Average Family Income

• A higher family income level makes conditions for
  healthy child development more easily accessible.
• For example, access to good quality child care,
  nutritious food, secure housing, and community
  participation improves as income level rises.

44
Average Census Family Income, 1996
INSET City of Chilliwack
Source 1996 Census
45
Average Family Income Eastern Fraser Valley

• The range of family income was 24,757 to
  54,220.
• Within the City of Chilliwack the range was
  smaller, from 31,473 to 54,220.
• The Promontory neighbourhood had the highest
  average family income.
• The areas of Agassiz/Harrison/Kent and Hope/Upper
  Fraser Valley had the lowest family incomes in
  1996.

46
Cost of a Nutritious Food Basket for a Family of
Four

• Good nutrition is essential for a childs growth
  and development. Hunger affects their ability to
  learn and puts them at higher risk for infection
  and disease.
• In the year 2001, the cost of a nutritious basket
  was 137.56 per week on average in B.C.
• Where a higher percentage of of family income is
  required to purchase the basket, there is
  potential for families to buy less nutritious
  alternatives.

47
Cost of a Nutritious Food Basket (2001) for a
Family of Four as a Proportion of Average Family
Income, 1996
INSET City of Chilliwack
Source 1996 Census
48
Cost of a Nutritious Food Basket for a Family of
Four

• In the neighbourhoods with the lowest family
  incomes, up to 30 of income was needed to
  purchase the nutritious food basket.
• The range on this indicator was quite small,
  particularly within the City of Chilliwack where
  there was only up to a 5 difference between
  neighbourhoods.

49
Home Ownership and Mobility

• High levels of mobility may be stressful for
  families and young children.
• Canadian families tend to be quite mobile,
  particularly within more urban neighbourhoods.
• Home ownership suggests a level of stability of
  residence and some economic security.
• Often neighbourhoods with lower levels of
  mobility have higher levels of home ownership.

50
Proportion of the Population who on Census Day
(1996), Were Living at a Different Address One
Year Earlier
INSET City of Chilliwack
Source 1996 Census
51
Rate of Home Ownership, 1996
INSET City of Chilliwack
Source 1996 Census
52
Home Ownership and Mobility

• The neighbourhood with the highest rate (up to
  98.5) of home ownership, Promontory, also had
  the highest rate of mobility at between 22 and
  25.7.
• Downtown Chilliwack had the same level of
  mobility as Promontory, yet had the lowest rate
  of home ownership (60). Agassiz/Harrison/Kent
  and Hope/Upper Fraser Valley had the same rate of
  home ownership.
• Greendale/Yarrow/Chilliwack Mountain area had
  the lowest level of mobility. 12.3 of the
  population had changed residence in the last year
  at the time of the 1996 census.

53
Child Care

• Good quality child care can positively influence
  developmental outcomes for young children whether
  it is provided in the home or in a child care
  centre.
• Hours spent by parents, extended family, or other
  adult caregivers on unpaid child care would
  promote a childs readiness for school.

54
Proportion of the Population 15 Years and Over
Performing 15 or More Hours of Unpaid Child Care
per Week, 1996
INSET City of Chilliwack
Source 1996 Census
55
Child Care

• The lowest proportion of adults providing 15 or
  more hours of unpaid child care is within the
  Promontory neighbourhood at 9.5.
• The majority of neighbourhoods fall in the mid
  range of 20 to 24.
• The highest proportion is up to 36.71 of adults
  within the Southeast/Ryder lake area.

56
Education Levels

• Higher parental education levels tend to have a
  positive impact on the healthy development of
  children.
• Studies have shown that the education level of
  the primary caregiver, often the mother, is of
  particular significance to the childs readiness
  for school.

57
Proportion of the Population 15 Years and
OverWithout a High School Diploma
INSET City of Chilliwack
Source 1996 Census
58
Education Levels

• The neighbourhoods of Cultus Lake, Promontory,
  Sardis/Vedder and Southeast/Ryder Lake had the
  highest levels of the population who had
  completed secondary school.
• In Hope/Upper Fraser Valley up to 46.95 of the
  population over 15 years had not completed high
  school.

59
Lone Parent Families

• Lone parent families face significant challenges
  in balancing the demands of raising children
  while earning a living.
• Children of lone parent families are more likely
  to be living in poverty than those from two
  parent families.

60
Proportion of Families with Children Headed by a
Lone Parent, 1996
INSET City of Chilliwack
Source 1996 Census
61
Lone Parent Families

• The range on this indicator was from 0 of
  families headed by a lone parent in the
  Promontory neighbourhood to up to 38.6 in
  Downtown Chilliwack.
• The neighbourhoods outside the City of Chilliwack
  all have between 25 and 32.9 lone parent
  families.
• Neighbourhoods with lower average family incomes
  tend to have a higher proportion of lone parent
  families.

62
Language and Immigration

• Immigration enriches a community, but it may also
  present challenges to the immigrant families.
• Access to services and community supports is
  difficult for immigrants whose first language is
  not English.
• Young children may be delayed in their English
  language acquisition at kindergarten entry.

63
Proportion of the Population that Speak English
as a Second Language, 1996
INSET City of Chilliwack
Source 1996 Census
64
Proportion of the Population that Immigrated to
Canada in the Period 1991 - 1996
INSET City of Chilliwack
Source 1996 Census
65
Language and Immigration

• Up to 22 of the population in the Northeast area
  of Chilliwack and the Agassiz/Harrison/Kent
  neighbourhoods speak English as a second
  language.
• A lower proportion was found in Cultus Lake,
  Hope/Upper Fraser Valley and the Southeast
  neighbourhoods of Chilliwack.
• Immigration levels in most areas are low (under
  2).
• The Agassiz/Harrison/Kent neighbourhood has
  somewhat higher levels perhaps due to
  participation in the agricultural labour force.

66
Summary

• A correlation between school readiness and
  socio-economic characteristics is seen in all
  neighbourhoods, most clearly in Promontory.
• The Greendale/Yarrow/Chilliwack Mountain area
  showed similar scores on the EDI as Promontory,
  yet was in the mid range on many socio-economic
  indicators.
• Downtown Chilliwack had a considerably higher
  proportion of EDI vulnerabilities and is one of
  the more disadvantaged areas socio-economically.
• The range of difference in EDI vulnerabilities
  seen within these districts (3.6 to 32.8) is
  similar to Vancouver (6 to 38).