Fact Sheets and Research Briefs 

Please find below  ‘one-pagers’ and brochures that provide summaries of HELP research projects and topics. For example, the Early Development Instrument Fact Sheet provides an overview of the EDI monitoring tool.

Early Development Instrument (EDI)

• EDI BC: 2016 Provincial Report

  2016

  The EDI BC: 2016 Provincial Report provides a comprehensive overview of the provincial trends that are emerging from over 10 years of data collection and analysis. This interactive report provides an overview of the EDI as well as easy access to five waves of data for each of the EDI scales and newly published EDI subscales data. The online report also offers a link to a comprehensive print version, complete with School District data and maps.

• The Early Development Instrument (EDI) Fact Sheet

  2017

  The EDI is a questionnaire that is used province-wide. It was developed by researchers at the Offord Centre for Child Studies to measure patterns and trends in child development in populations of children. The questionnaire is completed by kindergarten teachers for children in their classes. They are filled out in February, after teachers have had the chance to get to know their students. This ensures that teachers are able to answer the questions for each student knowledgeably. The EDI includes 104 questions and measures five important areas of early child development. These areas are good predictors of adult health, education and social outcomes.

• How to Request EDI Data for Aboriginal Children

  2015

  A two page fact sheet providing information about how to request Aboriginal-specific EDI data. This fact sheet is intended to provide specific instructions to school districts, Aboriginal Education Councils, Nations and other Aboriginal organizations for making this request as HELP does not release Aboriginal-specific EDI data publicly.

• Understanding Critical Difference in EDI Results

  2015

  The Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) has administered the Early Development Instrument (EDI) throughout British Columbia since 1999. The EDI is a teacher-reported survey that measures five core areas of early child development in populations of Kindergarten children. HELP has a number of waves of province-wide EDI data that can be used to explore trends over time in children’s development. The broad question that we want to answer is: “Are our kindergarten-aged children doing better, worse or about the same as in the past?” We can answer this question for areas as large as the whole province and also for smaller jurisdictions such as school districts, local health areas and neighbourhoods.

• Vulnerability on the EDI

  2017

  A two page fact sheet providing information about how vulnerability is defined in HELP's research. The fact sheet is intended for parents, community trainers, teachers, and other persons interested in gaining further understanding of what HELP researchers mean when they used terms such as vulnerability, cut-off and rate.

• EDI Map Interpretation Fact Sheet

  2013

  A two page fact sheet providing information about the range of HELP maps and other graphics that illustrate the results of the Early Development Instrument (EDI), socio-economic information and other ecological data. HELP maps can be used in a variety of ways, from community mobilization to policy making, and are powerful tools for use in planning and community mobilization. Seeing the results for children in your neighbourhood ainspires a direct commitment to improving those results.

• It takes a child to raise a community: ‘Population-based’ measurement of early child development

  2007

  A description of the census of population-level early child development, using the Early Development Instrument (EDI), in British Columbia, Canada.

Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI)

• The Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) Research Brief

  2017

  The Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) is a self-report questionnaire that asks children in middle childhood about their thoughts, feelings and experiences. The MDI is the first survey of its kind to gather information about the lives of children both in school and community, from their own perspective. The survey uses a strengths-based approach to assess five dimensions of child development that are strongly linked to social and emotional well-being, health, academic achievement, and overall success throughout the school years and in later life.

Supporting Research

• What makes a difference for early child development? Total Environment Assessment Model for Early Child Development (TEAM-ECD)

  2013

  Research has helped us to better understand how everything from the smallest cell to the more complex growing child is influenced by the environments in which they spend their time. The Human Early Learning Partnership has developed the Total Environment Assessment Model of Early Child Development (TEAM-ECD) as a way of understanding these environments and their qualities that play a significant role in influencing early development.

• Proportionate Universality

  2015

  For many years there has been a debate about the relative value and impact of universal versus targeted programs and services in addressing children’s health and development issues. In reality, when it comes to the early years in Canada generally and BC specifically, many types of programs and services for young children aged 0-6 are in short supply. A system incorporating the principle of proportionate universality for children in their early years would create and maintain a platform of universal supports organized in a way that would eliminate the barriers to access that affect populations with the highest need.

• Universalisme proportionné

  2011

  Cette synthèse fournit une définition et des renseignements sur l'universalisme proportionné. Un système qui intègre les principes d'universalisme proportionné pour les enfants au cours de leurs premières années devrait créer et maintenir une plate-forme de services universels organisés d'une manière qui permettrait d'éliminer les obstacles à l'accès qui affectent les populations dans le plus grand besoin.

• Addressing Barriers to Access

  2012

  There is much evidence that current family policies are not effective and that all is not well for young children and families in Canada. Good quality early childhood services not only promote a young child’s health, learning, and skill development, but also positively influence their longer-term health, educational, and social outcomes. This is particularly so for vulnerable children. Our challenge is to build services that reach all children and families, particularly those who need them most.

• Early Childhood Rights Indicators

  2012

  Working with representatives from UNICEF, the World Health Organization and other international partners, HELP has developed an Indicators Framework for monitoring rights in early childhood. This Framework is intended to assist the 193 signatory countries to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in meeting their obligations.

• A New Deal for Families - Fact Sheet

  2011

  There is a silent generational crisis occurring in homes across Canada. The Generation raising young children today struggles with less time, stagnant household incomes, and skyrocketing housing costs compared to the 1970s. The failure to invest in the generation raising young children is not consistent with Canada’s proud tradition of building and adapting.

• Healthy Children, Healthy Nations: Family Policy, Cultural Vitality and Economic Growth. A 15 by 15 Research Brief by the Aboriginal Steering Committee

  2010

  Nothing is more important to our communities than for our children to be given the best environment in which to grow, thrive and prosper,” noted Grand Chief Ed John following a July 2008 gathering of First Nations Chiefs from across B.C. Chief John’s comments reflect a broad understanding among Aboriginal Peoples of the inherent links between healthy children and healthy Nations. This understanding places children at the centre of Aboriginal Peoples’ work towards self-determination and self-sufficiency, with respect for their own spiritual values, histories, languages, territories, political institutions and ways of life. In this brief, we show how this understanding guides the family policy recommendations of the Human Early Learning Partnership in its report, 15 by 15: a Comprehensive Policy Framework for Early Human Capital Investment; and why these same recommendations should command attention from both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Peoples in order to motivate senior levels of government to adopt family policy that promotes healthy children and healthy Nations for minority and majority.