The Human Early Learning Partnership is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of children through interdisciplinary research and mobilizing knowledge.

News and Events

News

School connectedness critical for transgender and gender-diverse youth mental well-being

A new population-based study from UBC’s Human Early Learning Partnership reveals that transgender and gender-diverse youth experience significantly lower mental well-being compared to their cisgender peers, with school connectedness emerging as the most crucial factor for promoting their well-being.
News

Now Available: 2024-2025 CHEQ Reports

Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (CHEQ) Reports for the 2024-25 school year are now available to access!
Indigenous

Weaving Traditions and Knowledge: Reflections from the 2025 BC Aboriginal Child Care Society Conference

ASC Members at HELP provide reflections from the 2025 BC Aboriginal Child Care Society (BCACCS) Annual Provincial Training Conference.
News

Most B.C. youth aren’t meeting Canada’s movement guidelines, and it could be impacting their mental health

New research from the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) shows children are struggling to meet national recommendations for physical activity, sleep and screen time, but those who do report better mental health and well-being.
Data in Action

Equity in South Vancouver: How Data Helped Re-Shape Community Development in Killarney, Victoria-Fraserview, and Sunset

South Vancouver, often viewed as a single section of Vancouver, actually encompasses three distinct neighbourhoods, each with unique demographics and needs, creating a unique set of challenges for its children and families. Learn about how South Vancouver Neighbourhood House (SVNH) has been addressing these challenges through data-driven, community-informed approaches.

Publications

RISKY PLAY

Children’s knowledge about play-related risk, risk-taking, and injury: A meta-study

Leisure/Loisir
McCallum, K. S., Youngblood, J., Hayden, K. A., Brussoni, M., Emery, C., & Bridel, W. (2023).

Risk-taking in play has received increased focus in research over the last three decades through the use of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. The purpose of this meta-study was to review the qualitative literature specifically to better understand how children (5–16 years of age) understand the concepts of risk, risky play, and injury in relation to their play experiences. Twenty-two studies were identified for inclusion in the meta-study.
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL

Neural dynamics of development of nature empathy in children: An EEG/ERP study

ScienceDirect
Sahni, P.S., Rajyaguru, C., Narain, K., Miedenbauer, K. L., Kumar, J., Schonert-Reichl, K. A. (2024).

This research paper explores the neurophysiological development of empathy for nature in children aged 5-12 using EEG/ERP methods. The study investigated neural responses to images depicting nature in distress versus no distress, revealing age-related shifts from affective arousal to cognitive appraisal. Findings suggest a correlation between increased frontal brain activity and higher dispositional empathy for nature.
EARLY YEARS

Understanding Educator Perceptions in Assessment of Kindergarten Children’s Development

Early Childhood Education Journal
Spadafora, N., Jezrawi, R., De Jesus, S., Cameron, D., Janus, M. (2024).

Race-related data are not routinely collected as part of the Canadian kindergarten teacher reported Early Development Instrument (EDI) data collection even though they could be used to inform provision of supports for students and educators. Therefore, the goal of our exploratory study was to gather an understanding of teacher perceptions regarding the assessment of items on the EDI in the context of children’s race, gender, and family status and teacher positionality.
MENTAL HEALTH

Six-year (2016–2022) longitudinal patterns of mental health service utilization rates among children developmentally vulnerable in kindergarten and the COVID-19 pandemic disruption

PLOS Digital Health
Talarico, F., Metes, D., Wang, M., Hayward, J., Liu, Y.S., Tian, J., Zhang, Y., Greenshaw, A.J., Gaskin, A., Janus, M., Cao, B. (2024).

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it becomes important to comprehend service utilization patterns and evaluate disparities in mental health-related service access among children. This study uses administrative health records to investigate the association between early developmental vulnerability and healthcare utilization among children in Alberta, Canada from 2016 to 2022.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC

Childhood poverty, social support, immigration background and adolescent health and life satisfaction: A population-based longitudinal study

Journal of Adolescence
Gill, R., Karim, M. E., Puyat, J. H., Guhn, M., Petteni, M. G., Oberle, E., Janus, M., Georgiades, K., & Gadermann, A. M. (2024).

This study examined whether poverty (neighborhood and household) was associated with future health or life satisfaction outcomes and whether the association operated through social support (adult support at home, adult support at school, peer belonging), or differed by the immigration background (nonimmigrant family or immigrant family) of the family. This study utilized a retrospective, longitudinal, population-based cohort that included self-reported survey data from the MDI.

HELP's unique approach

Relationships

Reciprocity, accountability and respect are at the foundation of HELP’s longstanding relationships with communities, organizations, institutions and governments across BC and Canada. These relationships, along with guidance from an Aboriginal Steering Committee (ASC), contribute to our research, data and knowledge mobilization initiatives. Learn more about the Aboriginal Steering Committee.

Data

The Child Development Monitoring System safely and reliably gathers population-level data about the developmental health and well-being of children and adolescents at multiple times between infancy and 18 years of age. It is the foundation for much of the leading-edge research and knowledge mobilization undertaken at HELP. Learn more about the Child Development Monitoring System.

Expertise

Faculty, researchers and affiliates at HELP hold scientific expertise across a wide range of disciplines, contributing to a unique and diverse program of research that situates HELP research at the forefront of important health and equity issues. Learn more about HELP research.

Impact

HELP leads collaborative and inclusive processes that transform data and research into action. Across both practice and policy, HELP is focused on supporting evidence-informed change across systems, institutions and in communities. Learn more about HELP’s knowledge mobilization and research impact.

Our work, based at the University of British Columbia (UBC), takes place on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people.

NEW CHEQ Reports

MDI Provincial Summary

MDI Data Dashboard

EDI Data Dashboard