Our Children, The Future:

Transcription

1 Our Children, The Future: Monitoring the developmental health of our young learners Durham Region s EDI and KPS Report, 2012 The Early Learning Team, Children s Services Division, Social Services Department The Regional Municipality of Durham December 2013 If this information is required in an accessible format, please contact ext. 2681

2 Foreword The Children s Services Division is pleased to provide this report, which outlines the data results from the 2012 Early Development Instrument (EDI) and the Kindergarten Parent Survey (KPS), conducted in Durham Region. The EDI is intended to measure children s ability to meet age appropriate developmental expectations, as they begin their formal education. This assessment is used to determine how ready children are to enter school. As such, it is referred to as a school readiness measure. This report allows for comparison of Ontario overall EDI results to Durham s EDI results. The results clearly indicate how the region s Senior Kindergarten aged children are doing in terms of the five development domains measured in the EDI tool. The five developmental domains are: Physical Health and Well-being Social Knowledge and Competence Emotional Health and Maturity Language and Cognitive Development Communication Skills and General Knowledge The data results obtained from the KPS provide additional information about the children s community and early learning experience prior to attending school. This additional data allows for more in-depth analysis of the child s early experiences in relation to their current readiness assessment. Knowing how ready our children are for school is an effective means of monitoring their early years development. This knowledge allows child-care and early years service providers to more effectively plan for programs and services. The Children s Services Division, as the Consolidated Municipal Service Manager (CMSM) for child-care, relies on accurate data and analysis to assist with its early learning and child-care-system planning responsibilities. This report also provides comparative data from two previous EDI collection periods. Therefore it may be useful in identifying score changes and trends. Again, this data provides an opportunity to improve our community planning of programs and services to best meet the needs of Durham families. It is our hope that this information will continue to facilitate and encourage community monitoring of the developmental health of our young learners, with a view to allowing all children an opportunity to be ready and eager to achieve their best. i P a g e

3 I would like to acknowledge, and thank, the six publicly funded school boards represented in Durham Region and all senior kindergarten teachers that took part in the EDI. As well I would like to acknowledge Children s Services Early Learning Team for their hard work on this process and report. In particular, I would like to thank Gloria Duke-Aluko, Data Analysis Coordinator for her ongoing commitment to providing and sharing data with Durham s child-care and early learning service providers, in order to promote sound evidenced-based decision-making and community planning. Roxanne Lambert, RECE Director of Children s Services Division ii P a g e

4 Table of contents MONITORING THE DEVELOPMENTAL HEALTH OF Foreword... i Table of contents... iii List of figures... iv List of tables... iv Background... 1 The Regional Municipality of Durham... 3 Our children... 5 What are the demographic findings?... 6 What developmental areas were assessed?... 7 How do Durham s children compare to the rest of Ontario?... 8 How have Durham s children been doing over time?... 9 Are there geographical variations? (2012) Are Durham s children on track? Are there children who are vulnerable on the EDI? Are our children meeting developmental expectations? Families with young children What are the socio-demographic characteristics of families with Senior Kindergarten (SK) children in Durham Region? What are parents child-care practices? What type of pre-kindergarten programs do parents access? How are parents relating with their children? What types of neighborhoods are children and their families living in? Outcome vs. early childhood experiences KPS vs. EDI Conclusion Bibliography Data notes Icon Meaning Definition, explanation Information Quick Facts iii P a g e

5 List of figures Figure 1: critical periods for some aspects of brain development and function... 1 Figure 2: map of Durham showing all eight municipalities... 3 Figure 3: chart showing population estimates 1987 to 2010 and projection 2012 to Figure 4: chart showing Municipalities represented on the EDI... 6 Figure 5: chart showing the average EDI scores for Durham and Ontario... 8 Figure 6: group of charts showing trend of EDI scores, Durham and Ontario Figure 7: group of charts showing EDI scores, Durham, Municipalities & Ontario Figure 8: Map of Durham showing percentage of vulnerable children Figure 9: EDI Domains and Sub-Domains Figure 10: chart showing level of education - KPS and census Figure 11: chart showing the length of parental leave taken by parents of SK children Figure 12: chart showing household income, Durham KPS Figure 13: chart showing main type of child care utilized by parents for different age groups Figure 14: chart showing pre-kindergarten activities, Durham KPS Figure 15: chart showing activities that parents frequently performed with their children Figure 16: chart showing challenges faced by parents, Durham KPS Figure 17: chart showing EDI scores by household income Figure 18: chart showing EDI scores by parent highest level of education List of tables Table 1: the five EDI domains and associated relevant skills... 7 Table 2: percentage of children that are not ready to learn in different sub-domains Table 3: number of families represented on the KPS and the response rate per municipality Table 4: Low Income Cut Off based on family size and reported income, Durham KPS Table 5: activities parents reported they did not perform with their children Table 6: pre-kindergarten programs that have a positive impact on EDI scores Table 7: comparing the average EDI scores for groups that engaged in activities to those that did not iv P a g e

6 Background E vidence from neuroscience research has shown that early year s development occurring from conception to age six sets the foundation for competence and coping skills that affect learning, behaviour and health throughout life 1. Figure 1 below shows the critical period in which certain basic skills develop. Figure 1: critical periods for some aspects of brain development and function According to Charles E. Pascal s report, With our best future in mind, investing in early learning provides a remarkable return in the form of better outcomes for children, and a healthier and more prosperous society for everyone. The Regional Municipality of Durham, designated as the Consolidated Municipal Service Manager (CMSM), assumes a lead role in developing and implementing a child-care Service Management Plan for Durham Region. It also co-ordinates 1 Early Years Study, P a g e

7 the Durham s Best Start Network (BSN), which consists of agencies that provide services and support to families of children birth to 12 years of age, with the common goal of providing all children the opportunity to be ready and eager to achieve their best in our community. Knowing how ready our children are for school is an effective way of monitoring their early years development. Durham Region has implemented two tools for this purpose; the Early Development Instrument (EDI), completed by senior kindergarten teachers to determine how ready children are for school and the Durham s Best Start Network - vision: - All children (birth to 12 years) in The Regional Municipality of Durham will be ready and eager to achieve their best in the community. -Families in The Regional Municipality of Durham will be supported, allowing all children the opportunity to be ready and eager to achieve their best in the community Kindergarten Parent Survey (KPS), completed by parents to gather information regarding children s community and early years experiences. The EDI has been administered three times in Durham Region first in 2006, again in 2009, and finally in 2012 when the KPS was also completed. In 2007 an EDI report was released, Ready for School? Ready for School! Results from the Early Development Instrument in Durham Region. As a follow-up to the 2007 report, this document outlines current findings of the EDI and KPS as well as trends over time. It is hoped that this information will continue to facilitate and encourage community monitoring of the developmental health of our young learners, with a view to allowing all children the opportunity to be ready and eager to achieve their best in the community. 2 P a g e

8 The Regional Municipality of Durham The Regional Municipality of Durham is comprised of eight local municipalities, which are Ajax, Brock, Clarington, Oshawa, Pickering, Scugog, Uxbridge and Whitby, (refer to Figure 2). The southern half of the region comprising Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa and Clarington is made up of mostly urban communities are to the south of the region while Scugog, Uxbridge and Brock are to the north. According to the 2011 census, there are 608, 125 people living in Durham Region. The population is denser in municipalities to the south and less dense in the municipalities to the north of the region. Figure 2: map of Durham showing all eight municipalities 3 P a g e

9 About one in six individuals in Durham Region is a child aged 12 years and under. This represents approximately 16% of the total population. From 2006 to 2012, the population of children aged zero to five increased by 6%. The population of children in Durham is projected to increase through to 2036 (refer to Figure 3 below 2 ) Units: Level AGE_GROUP: Age 0 to 12 SEX: Both Sexes REGION: CD - Durham Population of children zero to 12, Durham Region, 1987 to Year Figure 3: chart showing population estimates 1987 to 2010 and projection 2012 to 2036 Table: pop_cd_selected and single age_2011[1].ivt - Population Estimates (1986 to 2010) and Projections (2011 to 2036) f 2 Source of population estimate and projection Statistics Canada data cubes through the Ministry of children & Youth repository, extracted January P a g e

10 Our children All children attending Senior Kindergarten (SK) in publicly funded elementary schools in the Durham Region were included in a study to assess their school readiness by determining how developmentally ready they are for school. The school boards represented in the region are: Conseil scolaire de district Catholique Centre-Sud Conseil Scolaire Viamonde Durham Catholic District School Board Durham District School Board Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board Pineridge Victoria Northumberland Clarington Catholic District School Board The Early Development Instrument (EDI) was used for this assessment. 5 P a g e

11 What are the demographic findings? In spring 2012, 6,732 Senior Kindergarten (SK) children in publicly funded schools across Durham Region were assessed using the Early Development Instrument (EDI). The questionnaires were completed by their teachers. Gender: there were almost as many girls (49.4%) as there were boys (50.6%) Age: the average age of students in SK was five years and eight months. 6 P a g e The EDI sample in 2012 represents 92% of 6 year olds in Durham Region (6,732 of 7,315 - Census 2011). Junior Kindergarten (JK): almost all of the children (94%) had attended JK the previous year. Special needs: about 4% (252) of the SK children were identified as children with special needs. Aboriginal origin: about 1% of children were identified as being of aboriginal origin. The status of 254 children (4%) was not known. Language: about 4% of the children are identified as having English as a Second Language (ESL). More than 90 percent spoke English as their first language. Municipalities: the majority of the children live in Whitby, Oshawa and Ajax. The smallest representation was from Brock with 93 children. About 40 to 45% of children aged five and six years old were represented in each municipality (refer to Figure 4). Ajax 20% (1296) Oshawa 22% (1400) Municipalities Clarington 15% (929) Pickering 12% (763) Whitby 23% (1484) Figure 4: chart showing Municipalities represented on the EDI Uxbridge 3% (199) Scugog 3% (173) Brock 2% (95)

12 What developmental areas were assessed? The Early Development Instrument (EDI) measures children s ability to meet age-appropriate developmental expectations at school entry school readiness 3 in five main domains/developmental areas (refer to table 1). Each area represents a set of related skills and abilities that children are expected to have at the time that they are about to enter into Grade one. Table 1: the five EDI domains and associated relevant skills Domains Relevant skills Physical Health and Well-being Social Knowledge and competence Emotional Health/ Maturity Language and Cognitive Development Communication Skills and General Knowledge holding a pencil; running on the playground; motor co-ordination adequate energy levels for classroom activities independence in looking after own needs; daily living skills curiosity about the world; eagerness to try new experiences knowledge of standards of acceptable behaviour in a public place ability to control own behaviour; appropriate respect for adult authority; co-operation with others following rules; ability to play and work with other children ability to reflect before acting a balance between too fearful and too impulsive ability to deal with feelings at the age-appropriate level empathic response to other people's feelings reading awareness; age-appropriate reading skills age-appropriate writing skills age-appropriate numeracy skills; board games ability to understand similarities and differences ability to recite back specific pieces of information from memory skills to communicate needs and wants in socially appropriate ways; symbolic use of language; story telling age-appropriate knowledge about the life and world around them Children are given a score from one to 10 on all five domains of the EDI, and the mean (average) score of each area is determined. These mean scores are compared the Ontario baseline. 3 Offord Centre for Child studies, P a g e

13 How do Durham s children compare to the rest of Ontario? The average score of children in a community is an indication of how close that group of children is to meeting developmental expectations. A baseline average score was calculated for a cohort of children in all of Ontario based on the initial study that was conducted from 2004 to The Ontario baseline scores can be used as a target against which regions or other smaller communities are compared. In 2012, the average score for children in Durham Region was above the Ontario baseline for Language and Cognitive Skills. For Social Competence, Emotional Maturity and Communication Skills and General Knowledge, Durham s children have average scores similar to the Ontario baseline. Physical Health and Well-being was the only area where the average score for Senior Kindergarten (SK) children in Durham was below the Ontario baseline. 10 EDI average scores Durham Ontario Physical Health & Wellbeing Social Competence Emotional Maturity Language & Cognitive Skills Communication Skills & General Knowledge Figure 5: chart showing the average EDI scores for Durham and Ontario 4 Ontario SK Baseline EDI Results - Offord Centre for child studies 8 P a g e

14 How have Durham s children been doing over time? Physical Health & Well-Being Dur ON Social Competence Dur ON Emotional Maturity Dur ON The Early Development Instrument (EDI) has been administered three times in Durham Region. A look at the collective EDI results revealed the following trends: Since 2006, the mean score in Durham Region has been equal to or higher than the Ontario baseline in four of the five developmental areas/domains. These domains are Social Knowledge and Competence; Emotional Health and Maturity; Language and Cognitive Development; and Communication Skills and General Knowledge. This outcome is likely an indication that, overall, children in Durham Region are doing as well or better than all of Ontario in these aspects of their development Language & Conitive Development Dur ON The average score for children in Durham Region for the Physical Health and Well-being domain has been consistently lower than the Ontario baseline since Communication Skills & General Knowledge Dur ON Overall, since 2006, children in Durham Region have been doing as well or better than all of Ontario in four of the five domains Figure 6: group of charts showing trend of EDI scores, Durham and Ontario. 9 P a g e

15 Are there geographical variations? (2012) 5 Durham Region consists of eight municipalities with diverse sociodemographic characteristics. It is important to monitor how children are doing in the different municipalities in order to appropriately plan programs and services that will meet the needs of all children and their families in different areas of the region. Physical Health and Well-Being: The average score for children living in all municipalities in Durham fell below the Ontario baseline. Social Knowledge and Competence, and Emotional Health and Maturity: The average score for children living in, Clarington, Scugog, Uxbridge and Whitby exceeded the Ontario baseline in these two domains. Language and Cognitive Development: The average score for children living in all Durham municipalities exceeded the Ontario baseline in his domain. Communication Skills and General Knowledge: The average score for children living in Brock, Clarington, Scugog, Uxbridge and Whitby exceeded the Ontario baseline. Mean Score Mean Score Mean score Mean Score Mean score Physical Health & Well-being Social Competence Emotional Maturity Language and Cognitive Development Communication Skill and General Knowledge Red line represents the Ontario baseline Figure 7: group of charts showing EDI scores, Durham, Municipalities & Ontario. 10 P a g e

16 Are Durham s children on track? One other way that the Early Development Instrument (EDI) is used is to determine if our children are on track to being ready for school. The average EDI score for each developmental area is divided into categories that represent the highest to the lowest scores in the community. On Track Top Middle At Risk Vulnerable Highest % 75% - 25% 25-10% Lowest 10% Not on track On Track: children whose EDI scores lie between the 25 th and the 100 th percentile of the distribution. This category is further subdivided into two subgroups: Top: scores that fall between the 75 th and the 100 th percentile. Middle: scores that fall between the 25 th to the 75 th percentile. Not on Track: children whose scores fall below the 25 th percentile on the distribution. This category is further divided into two smaller groups: At Risk: scores that fall between the 10 th and the 25 th percentile. Vulnerable: scores that fall below the 10 th percentile. In 2012, about 75% of Senior Kindergarten children in Durham Region were on track in their development. 11 P a g e

17 Are there children who are vulnerable on the EDI? Children who are vulnerable in kindergarten tend to remain vulnerable throughout their time in the school system 6. According to the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University, current findings from the administration of the EDI in Canada show that in most jurisdictions 25% or more of children entering grade one are vulnerable in at least one aspect of their development. In 2012, 28% of all children in Ontario were found to be vulnerable in one or more aspects of their development. In contrast, 28.7% of children in Durham Region were vulnerable in at least Figure 8: Map of Durham showing percentage of vulnerable children one of the domains. Figure 8 is the map of Durham Region showing the percentage of children in different communities who are vulnerable in one or more aspects of their development, as identified by different colours. When a child is vulnerable in more than one aspects of their development the likelihood of having problems later in life is increased. In Durham Region, 13.8% (more than 900) Senior Kindergarten children in 2012 were vulnerable in two or more aspects of their development. This finding is similar to all of Ontario where 13.8% of children are vulnerable in two or more domains. 6 Offord report P a g e

18 Are our children meeting developmental expectations? Each of the five domains of the EDI is divided into sub-domains, except for Communication Skills and General Knowledge. Figure 9 below shows the breakdown of the sub-domains. Figure 9: EDI Domains and Sub-Domains Physical Health and Well-Being Physical readiness for a school day. Physical independence. Gross and fine motor skills. Social Knowledge and Competence Overall social competence. Responsibility and respect. Approaches to learning. Readiness to explore new things. Emotional Health/Maturity Prosocial and helping behaviour. Anxious and fearful behaviour. Aggressive behaviour. Hyperactivity and inattention. Language and Cognitive Development Basic literacy. Interest in literacy/ numeracy and memory. Advanced literacy. Basic numeracy. Communication Skill and General Knowledge Communication skills and general knowledge. Like domains, scores for sub-domains on the EDI vary from zero to 10. Three groups of scores were identified representing the following: children who met all/almost all developmental expectations (i.e. reached the expectations for all or most of the sub-domain items), children who met some of the developmental expectations ( i.e. reached the expectations for some of the sub-domains items), and children who met none of the developmental expectations (i.e. reached expectations for none or only few of the sub-domain items) 13 P a g e

19 In previous administrations of the EDI these groupings were called very ready ; middle ; and not ready respectively. Table 2 below shows the percent of children in Durham Region, and in each municipality, that met few or none of the developmental expectations at school entry. These are children that are considered not ready for school. Where a higher percent of children met only few or none of the developmental expectations the colour is red. Table 2: percentage of children that are not ready to learn in different sub-domains Durham Ajax Brock Clarington Oshawa Pickering Scugog Uxbridge Whitby number of children Communication skills and 33.0% 37.1% 29.9% 25.1% 35.1% 34.5% 27.7% 28.8% 32.7% general knowledge Pro-social and helping 32.6% 35.1% 29.5% 25.5% 36.3% 38.3% 22.0% 26.3% 30.5% behaviour Gross and fine motor skills 28.6% 26.7% 20.6% 22.0% 32.7% 29.4% 26.4% 30.7% 30.5% Hyperactive and inattention 14.3% 15.5% 10.3% 11.8% 19.0% 12.7% 14.0% 8.8% 12.2% Interest in literacy/ 13.2% 15.1% 17.5% 10.6% 14.2% 14.2% 10.7% 11.9% 11.8% numeracy and memory Advanced literacy 12.0% 13.7% 17.5% 11.3% 14.6% 12.2% 15.7% 6.8% 8.4% Overall social competence 10.9% 12.2% 12.4% 6.1% 14.1% 11.1% 10.7% 8.3% 9.9% Approaches to learning 10.4% 12.3% 14.4% 7.6% 12.3% 11.4% 5.6% 6.8% 9.1% Aggressive behaviour 9.2% 9.6% 10.4% 6.9% 12.7% 7.8% 11.2% 5.9% 7.7% Basic numeracy 7.8% 6.5% 13.4% 8.2% 10.3% 8.7% 6.7% 6.3% 5.8% Basic literacy 6.7% 7.3% 7.2% 4.9% 9.3% 7.5% 6.2% 5.4% 4.4% Responsibility and respect 6.2% 7.9% 9.3% 3.8% 7.4% 5.5% 5.1% 2.9% 5.6% Anxious and fearful behaviour 2.9% 3.3% 5.3% 2.6% 3.5% 3.0% 2.3% 3.4% 2.0% The three subdomains where most children are not ready to learn are: communication skills and general knowledge (33%) pro-social and helping behaviour (33%) and gross and fine motor skills (29%) The majority of these children are living in Ajax, Pickering or Oshawa. The sociodemographic characteristics of these areas are diverse. They include factors such as a high level of unemployment, high numbers of newcomers and immigrant families, and high numbers of lone-parent families compared to other municipalities in Durham Region. 14 P a g e

20 Families with young children In order to better understand the factors that are likely contributing to the early development outcomes seen with the Early Development Instrument (EDI), the Kindergarten Parent Survey (KPS) was used to collect information from families about their children s early years experiences and about their communities. The KPS was sent out to all parents of Senior Kindergarten children that had an EDI completed by their teacher. 15 P a g e

21 What are the socio-demographic characteristics of families with Senior Kindergarten (SK) children in Durham Region? The Kindergarten Parent Survey (KPS) survey was completed by 2,704 parents, representing a 40% response rate 7. More specifically, 34 to 55 % of the EDI families responded from each municipality (refer to Table 3). Of the respondents, 92% were mothers, 7% were fathers and about one percent was other. Table 3: number of families represented on the KPS and the response rate per municipality Municipality Count Response rate s Whitby % of 1484 Oshawa % of 1400 Clarington % of 929 Ajax % of 1296 Pickering % of 763 Uxbridge % of 199 Scugog 85 49% of 173 Brock 7 7% of 95 TOTAL % of 6732 Type of household: most (86%) of the households were two-parent families; 7% were other or single-parent families and 6% were sharing custody of the child (either divorced or separated). In 12% of the families, the child in SK was an only child. About half (54%) of families had two children;, 25% had three; and 9% had four or more children. Parents in the household 86% - two-parent family 7% - one-parent family 6% - sharing custody 7 The sample for this study is made up of parents of SK children attending publically funded elementary schools in Durham Region in the spring P a g e

22 Immigration: eighty percent of parents of Senior Kindergarten parents in Durham have lived in Canada all their lives while 20% are immigrants. Of the 20% that are immigrants, 15% have lived in Canada for more than 10 years, 3.4% have lived for between 10 to six years while 2% are very recent immigrants that have lived in Canada for five years or less. The percent of immigrants represented on the KPS is similar to Durham Region Census data for Education: The majority of respondents (85% of the parents of SK children) have a post-secondary education. In contrast, census data shows that 49% of all 60% 50% Highest level of education Census '06 KPS 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 51% 43% 32% 26% 15% 16% 16% 4% High school or lesscollege Certificate Undergraduate Graduate Figure 10: chart showing level of education - KPS and census 2006 Durham Region residents have a post-secondary education. Most of the parents of SK children are likely between the ages of 20 to 44 years. It is expected that the level of education for this group would be higher than the overall population of Durham Region. Who works in the household? 59% both parents working 36% one parent working Employment: According to the 2006 census: 313,865 people in Durham Region were in 4% no parent working 17 P a g e

23 the labour force 8 (those eligible to work); 294,155 of these people (94%) were employed. The KPS data indicated that both parents were working in 59% of households. One parent was working in 36% of households; while none of the parents were working in 4% of households. Regarding the hours worked: in 77% of households represented on the KPS, parents worked a combined total of 50 or more hours per week. In 18% of families, parents worked for a total of between 25 to 49 hours per week and in 2% of households both parents worked less than 25 hours per week. Who takes parental leave? 73% - mothers 2% - fathers 8% - both Alternative work arrangements: Alternative work arrangements is said to increase work-life balance as it allows parents the opportunity to accommodate the demands of family life during work hours. Parents were asked if their workplaces offered alternate work arrangements to accommodate child-care needs. Almost one quarter (23%) of families indicated that their workplaces offered alternative work arrangements. The alternate work arrangement came in the form of flex time (18%), work from home (8%), and compressed work week (5%). Parental leave: Mothers took parental leave in 73% of homes; fathers in 2% of homes; and in 8% of homes parental leave is taken by both parents. On the other Percent of parents 100 less than 6 months (5%) Length of leave 6 months - 1yr (68%) more than 1 yr (27%) 0 Figure 11: chart showing the length of parental leave taken by parents of SK children hand, in 17% of families neither of the parents took parental leave. 8 Labour force - Refers to persons who were either employed or unemployed during the week (Sunday to Saturday) prior to Census Day (May 16, 2006). In past censuses, this was called 'total labour force 18 P a g e

24 However, regarding the length of time that parents take parental leave for; more than half (68%) of families represented reported that they took parental leave for between six months to one year, 27% were on parental leave for more than 1 year and 5% for less than six months. Household Income: According to Statistics Canada, the average 2005 family income before tax in Durham Region was $103,049 for two-parent families and $56,446 for lone parent families ($52,542 for female lone-parent families). When asked about household income before tax in the KPS, about 6% of SK parents reported that they earned $30,000 or less. Percent % 4% 7% Houshold income, KPS % 19% < $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ Figure 12: chart showing household income, Durham KPS % > $ Statistics Canada calculates the Low income Cut Off (LICO) for households as the threshold of income below which a family spends 20% more than the average family on basic needs like food, clothing and shelter. It is based on the family size and the population of the area of residence. According to their publication on LICO before-tax cut-offs for 2011, in an urban area like Durham Region with a population of over 500,000 persons, the low income cut offs for different family sizes are: $29,004 for two-person families $35,657 for three-person families $43,292 for four-person families $49,102 for five-person families $55,378 for six-person families $61,656 for seven or more person families 19 P a g e

25 When a family spends a large proportion of their income on food, clothing and shelter there will be less leftover for engaging in recreational activities. In table 4 below, an attempt was made to determine the number of SK families living below LICO in Durham Region using the KPS information on family size and before-tax income. Of the families that responded to the income question, 332 families are living below LICO or likely living below LICO. This represents 17% of the families surveyed. Table 4: Low Income Cut Off based on family size and reported income, Durham KPS income Two - person Family Threeperson Family Four - person Family Family size Fiveperson Family Six - person Family Seven or more person Family (n=53) (n=287) (n=1282) (n=582) (n=149) (n=53) > $ $ to $ $50 001to $ $30 001to $ $17 001to $ < $ above LICO 1741 families likely below LICO 167 families below LICO 165 families According to the Best Start Resource Centre s report, I m still hungry; Child and family poverty in Ontario ; lack of discretionary income limits active participation in the community for families living in poverty. For the children in these families, this means limited opportunities to play sport or pursue music, drama, or other cultural activities. Since about 17% of families with SK children are living below or likely below LICO, it can be assumed that about one in six children in Durham Region are in families where income limits their opportunities to pursue certain recreational activities. 20 P a g e

26 What are parents child-care practices? Type of child-care: parents were asked to indicate the main type of child-care they accessed for their children, at different ages, from birth to age four. Parent care only topped the chart as the main type of care that parents used for their 100% Main type of Child Care by Age Group 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 0-12 months years years years Parent care only 88% 45% 38% 36% Licensed- center 2% 14% 23% 28% Licensed - home 2% 12% 12% 11% Unlicensed - paid 3% 16% 15% 14% Uunlicensed - unpaid 5% 14% 12% 11% Figure 13: chart showing main type of child care utilized by parents for different age groups children for this period (refer to Figure 13). The percentage significantly reduces for one to one and a half year olds compared to infants aged birth to 12 months. This finding is understandable as the parental leave period usually ends around this age. In Durham Region, licensed child care sites are inspected regularly by: Quality Assurance managers Children s Services Division Health Inspectors Durham Region Health Department Ministry of Education - Quality Assurance Licensing Unit Fire department The use of licensed, centre-based child-care increases as children grows from birth to four years. Regarding home child-care; more families use unlicensed child-care (paid or unpaid) for their children than those who access licensed home childcare. Licensed child-care centres are inspected regularly to ensure that quality standards are met, in order to support an environment where children achieve their best. Programs are licensed by the Ontario Ministry of Education. 21 P a g e

27 What type of pre-kindergarten programs do parents access? Several programs and services are available to all children and their families in Durham Region. Parents of Senior Kindergarten (SK) children were asked how often they attended or visited these programs within the year preceding kindergarten. The programs and activities most accessed by parents include: recreation programs, such as swimming and skating; and public library and playbased programs, such as; drop-ins, Moms and Tots, Ontario Early Years Centres (OEYC), Family Resource Centres, Durham Farm and Rural Family Resource (DFRFR) programs, and Learning Together sessions. The least accessed programs include: Ready-Set-Grow clinics and summer camps. For Special Needs Resourcing agencies and Culture/ Ethnic programs for children, these programs and services are directed at a smaller target population. Recreation programs Public library Play-Based Learning Bookstore Music/ Arts/Dance Programs Literacy & Family Reading Ready for school programs Children's Language-based programs Children's Club Parenting & Family Literacy Centres SNR Agencies programs Summer Camps Ready Set Grow Culture/Ethnic Programs - Children Attendance at Pre-kindergarten Programs 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Frequent Users Occasional Users Figure 14: chart showing pre-kindergarten activities, Durham KPS P a g e

28 How are parents relating with their children? Parents play a key role in influencing the development of their children during the early years. Children tend to observe and copy the adults and caregivers in their lives. Through day to day interactions with their children, parents provide the stimulus necessary for early childhood development to take place. It is, therefore, vital that parents are comfortable in their role. 29% of children in Durham Region are not ready to learn in the Gross and Fine Motor Skill subdomain. This includes skills such as holding a pencil and printing. Printing is the least popular activity that parents engage in with their children. Activities that parents frequently perform with their children talk about child's day storytime physical activity household chores outings (shopping) play songs/rymes letter sounds arts & crafts printing simple math games Figure 15: chart showing activities that parents frequently performed with their children activity (84%) bike riding, walking or playing outside Activities with children: We asked parents about the types of activities they do with their children. The top three activities that parents engaged in weekly were; talking to them about their day (96%); Storytelling (91%) and Physical Table 5: activities parents reported they did not perform with their children Least popular parental activities Printing 16% Letter sounds 11% Simple maths games 7% Arts and crafts 7% Songs and rhymes 7% Play 4% Household chores 2% Outings /shopping 1% The least popular activity that parents engage in with their children was printing (refer to Table 5). It must be recalled that one of the sub-domains where most children in Durham Region were found not ready was in gross and fine motor skills, which includes holding a pencil and printing. 23 P a g e

29 Parenting challenges: We asked the parents of SK children what challenges they had with their parenting (refer to Figure 15). The top five challenges identified by parents are: 1. Finding family time (39%) 2. Getting child to eat healthy foods (32%) 3. Encouraging appropriate behaviour (29%) 4. Finances (24%) and 5. Getting child ready for activity (23%) Parenting challenges Finding family time Getting child to eat healthy Encouraging appropriate behaviour Finances Getting child ready Preparing healthy meals Playing with kids Knowing what's appropriate for child's Getting child active Grandparent's health Finding enough food Assisting child in transitioning Drugs/ alcohol Gambling 4% 4% 1%.4% 8% 7% 16% 14% 13% 24% 23% 29% 32% 39% percent Figure 16: chart showing challenges faced by parents, Durham KPS 2012 Parenting programs: Parenting programs and classes are provided by several service providers in Durham Region. These classes are free, and they occur at different times to accommodate the need for flexible timing required by most working parents. More than a quarter (28%) of SK parents said that they had attended a parenting class. Some of the agencies offering parenting programs in Durham Region are: Ontario Early Years Centres (OEYC) Family Resource Centres Durham Region Health Department Durham Region Behaviour Management Service 24 P a g e

30 What types of neighborhoods are children and their families living in? Access to public facilities: We asked about places that families had access to places that they could walk to, drive a short distance to, or take a bus to in their neighbourhood. Parents reported that they have access to a variety of places within their neighbourhood. Almost all the neighbourhoods (99%) have a school, a public park (97%) swimming pool (95%) and a public library (94%) within a reasonable distance. Many of the families also reported having access to family and friends; these people could serve as a good support system for the parents if necessary. Public facilities in the neighbourhood Schools: 99% Parks: 97% Swimming: 95% Libraries: 94% Family & Friends: 88% Neighbourhood safety: The majority of neighbourhoods represented on the KPS are reported to be safe. Parents described their neighbourhoods as having/being: Safe parks (90%) Safe for children to walk (87%) Child-friendly neighbourhood (79%) Safe to walk alone at night (72%) 25 P a g e

31 Outcome vs. early childhood experiences KPS vs. EDI The majority of this study has been built on the premise that early childhood 9 experiences impacts on school readiness In order to see if this premise is applicable in Durham Region, we took a closer look at some of the characteristics that parents reported on in the KPS and compared it to the EDI outcome for children. Some of the findings are presented in the following pages. 9 linking early childhood development outcomes to pre-kindergarten experiences 26 P a g e

32 EDI and household income: Average score increases for each domain as household income increases. Children from households with before-tax income higher than $75,000 tend to score on average one point higher than those from families with $17,000 or less, except for the area of emotional maturity (refer to Figure 16 below) EDI Scores by Household Income EDI Score Physical well-being Social competence Emotional maturity Language and cog devt > $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ < $ Household income Figure 17: chart showing EDI scores by household income For further analysis children were put into groups depending on the family size and the Low Income Cut Off (LICO) information. The average EDI score for children who live in families below Low Income Cut Off is not as high as that of children who live in families that earn above Low Income Cut Off. EDI score tends to increase with increase in household income. 27 P a g e

33 EDI and parent education: children s average score on the EDI increases as their parent s level of education increases. Children of parents with graduate and undergraduate degrees showed the highest average score for all domains Parent Education and EDI Scores EDI score Physical well-being Social competence Emotional maturity Language and cog devt Communication and gen knowledge Graduate degree Undergrad degree College/Trade certificate Parent education High school Figure 18: chart showing EDI scores by parent highest level of education No High School Further analysis revealed that children of parents living in Durham Region with undergraduate and graduate education scored significantly higher on all EDI domains compared to children of parents with no post graduate education (refer to Figure 17 below). EDI score tends to increase with increase in parent educational attainment 28 P a g e

34 EDI and pre-kindergarten activities: Children whose parents reported that they frequently attended available programs in their pre-kindergarten year did better than those who had not attended these programs. A closer look at this finding revealed that frequent attendance at certain programs had a significant positive impact on the variability in the EDI outcome for all five domains (refer to Table 6 below). Table 6: pre-kindergarten programs that have a positive impact on EDI scores 10 EDI Domain Physical Health and Well-being Attendance at certain pre-kindergarten programs has a positive impact on EDI scores Activities that have a positive impact on the score Music, art and dance Children club Recreation programs Social Knowledge and Competence Emotional Health and Maturity Language and Cognitive Development Communication Skills and General Knowledge Children club Music, art and dance Library Music, art and dance Children's Club Library Play- based learning Music, art and dance Recreation programs Play- based learning Music, art and dance Recreation programs Library It has already been established that children living in families below LICO are likely to have limited access to or involvement in some of these types of programs. It is, therefore, no surprise that findings of this study show that children from lower income families are likely to score lower on the EDI than those from higher income families. 10 Based on result of models tested using regression analysis, see data notes for more information 29 P a g e

35 EDI and parental interactions: Children whose parents engaged in different activities with them tend to score higher on all domains of the EDI than children whose parents did not engage in these activities with them. Refer to Table 7: green colour indicates higher averages and red colour indicates lower averages. Activities that parent engage in with their children at home have a positive map Table 7: comparing the average EDI scores for groups that engaged in activities to those that did not Physical Activities Health and Wellbeing Social Knowledge and Competence Emotional Health and Maturity Language and Cognitive Development Communication Skills and General knowledge Played simple math games Yes Played simple math games No Sang songs and rhymes Yes Sang songs and rhymes No Told or read told a story Yes Told or read a story No Arts/ Crafts/ drawing Yes Arts/ Crafts/ drawing No Household chores Yes Household chores No Outings Yes Outings- No Physical activity/family activity/walks Yes Physical activity/family activity/walks No Talked about child s day Yes Talked about child s day No Played together Yes Played together No This analysis shows that engaging in simple activities with children at home has a positive impact on the EDI scores. Parents can make a difference in helping their children be more ready and eager to achieve their best in the community. 30 P a g e

36 Conclusion Compared to all of Ontario, children in Durham Region are doing better, on the average, in Language and Cognitive skills. This includes sub-domains, such as basic numeracy; basic and advanced literacy. Our children are similar on average to children in all of Ontario in the Social Knowledge and Competence, Emotional Health and Maturity and Communication Skills and General Knowledge domains. More than one quarter (29%) of our children are vulnerable on at least one of the five domains on the EDI. About 33% of our children are not ready in certain aspects of their development. The majority of children in Durham Region are not ready to learn in the following sub-domains: communication skills and general knowledge, pro-social and helping behaviour, as well as, gross and fine motor skills. Geographical variations exist in Durham Region. Children living in different municipalities performed differently on the EDI. The differences are seen in the average score of children on the EDI, as well as the percentage of children considered vulnerable or not ready to learn in certain aspects of their development. Our children come from diverse background/family types and they are exposed to different types of pre-kindergarten activities and experiences. The sociodemographic status of the family has been shown to have an impact on children s school readiness. Also, when parents engage in day to day parenting activities with their children at home, and, or, access existing pre-kindergarten programs regularly their children, this has been shown to have a positive impact on early development and school readiness in Durham Region. 31 P a g e

37 Bibliography Best Start Resource Centre report, (2010). I m Still Hungry Child and Family Poverty in Ontario. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Kaneshiro N.K. (2011). Screen Time and Children. US national Library of Medicine. Retrieved July, 30, 2013, from McCain M.N, Mustard, J.F. (1999). Early years study. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. McCain M.N. Mustard J.F. Shanker S., (March, 2007). Early years study 2 Toronto. Ontario, Canada. McCain M.N, Mustard J.F, McCuaig K. (2011). Early years study 3. Toronto Ontario, Canada. Munter A., Muruments K.D., (2012). No Time to Wait: The Healthy Kids Strategy. Offord Centre for Child Studies report, (2012). School Readiness to Learn Ontario SK Cohort Results. df Pascal C.E. (June 2009). With Our Best Future in Mind; Implementing Early Learning in Ontario. Statistics Canada, (2007). Archived Community Profiles, StatCan.ca. Retrieved May through September 2013, from: P a g e

38 Data notes All 2012 EDI and KPS data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. In order to ensure confidentiality, linking of EDI and KPS data was done using unique identifiers after removing all personal information. Further analysis refers to various statistical analysis conducted on the EDI and KPS data. The analyses include descriptive studies, correlation studies, and multivariate analysis including regression analysis. Statistical significance was based on the model adjusted R and beta significance. Computation of LICO variable for the KPS data was limited in that income question was asked using income groups. Parents were not asked to state their actual income. This is why there is a group of people identified as likely below LICO. Due to overlap in the boundary lines of the OEYC Ridings and Regional geographical boundary lines; The Offord Centre typically excludes certain areas and 2006 and 2009 is missing data for some areas in Beaverton, Brock. For 2012 data, Brock surveys were added in to give a complete picture of how children are doing all across the region. For the purpose of this report, the data for all of Brock was included in the analysis. This means that some of the result for this dataset may differ from the original dataset that the Offord Centre cut out for Durham Region. This may account for any unlikely trend or patterns. The EDI has been implemented three times in Durham Region (2006, 2009 and 2012) and the method of implementation has differed slightly these three times. During the first two cycles, whole schools or individual teachers opted out of the process. Due to this the data for 2006 and 2009 EDI in Durham Region is missing some communities and this may have skewed the result for those years. 33 P a g e

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40 The Regional Municipality of Durham Social Services Department Children s Services Division,