MDI Provincial Summary
Amplifying children's voices with key findings about experiences in the middle years (ages of 9 to 13) from the 2023-24 school year and over time.NEW MDI Data Dashboard
Updated with 2023/24 data, new measures and questions, and an improved navigation.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
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Data in Action
Responding to EDI Data: A Play-Based Approach to Social-Emotional Learning in the Fraser Valley
The CALM Curriculum© (Connecting Neuroscience and Positive Psychology for Learning and Managing Emotions) is a play-based, research-informed initiative developed by the Fraser Valley Child Development Centre to help children improve self-regulation skills, build resilience, navigate social interactions and scaffold skills that support early childhood mental health.
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News
Dr. Paul Kershaw: Championing Generational Fairness
Dr. Paul Kershaw, a longtime faculty and affiliate at HELP, has built a distinguished career in research and knowledge mobilization focusing on policies that support children and families.
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Indigenous
Reflections from the Indigenous Data Sovereignty Symposium
Earlier this summer, faculty, staff, students, and community members gathered in the xʷc̓ic̓əsəm Garden at the UBC Farm for an Indigenous Data Sovereignty Symposium. We invite you to hear reflections from the day, directly from HELPers Dakota Anderberg and Sophie Carriere.
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News
Jeremy Y’in Neduklhchulh Williams, ASC Member at HELP, Appointed New Role at BC Ministry of Children and Family Development
HELP is thrilled to celebrate the appointment of Jeremy Y’in Neduklhchulh Williams, Chair of the Aboriginal Steering Committee (ASC), to the new role of Assistant Deputy Minister and Indigenous Child Welfare Director (ICWD) at the BC Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD).
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Data in Action
Building a Community Wellness Framework: South Island Indigenous Authority
Our latest Data in Action story spotlights South Island Indigenous Authority (SIIA), a community partner of HELP, and how their team has been able to use data from the Child Development Monitoring System as part of their wellness framework development. This collaboration demonstrates the potential for Monitoring System data to help identify and support child and youth well-being, honouring the unique identities, strengths and needs of communities.
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News
HELP Releases First MDI Provincial Summary
HELP is pleased to announce the release of the 2024 Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) Provincial Summary. This is the first MDI online report summarizing data collected from participating BC school districts and independent schools across Grades 4 through 8 at the provincial level — providing key highlights from the 2023-24 school year and over time.
Publications
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Outdoor Play
‘There’s not a lot of places for them to go’: rural and remote family perspectives on children’s independent mobility
Children’s Geographies
Pelletier, C., Cornish, K., & Sanders, C.To promote children’s independent mobility (CIM) in rural and remote areas, efforts should focus on providing education on wildlife encounters, creating safe and interesting destinations for play, and consider children’s safety and connectivity in road design.
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Outdoor Play
Supporting Greater Vancouver secondary school students’ mental health through time outdoors : a qualitative investigation
University of British Columbia
Hussaina, H.The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of youth located in the Greater Vancouver Metropolitan District (GVMD), of British Columbia, Canada, who engage in or would like to engage in outdoor time at secondary schools as a mental health promotion strategy.
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Outdoor Play
Frequency and duration measurements of children’s outdoor free play: a scoping review.
Journal of Childhood, Education & Society
Ramsden, R., O’Kane, M., Oberle, E., & Brussoni, M.Outdoor free play encompasses unstructured, self-directed play in the outdoors and has been shown to support children’s health and development. Accurate and reliable measures are required to conduct research on children’s outdoor free play and examine cross-sectional and longitudinal variation. This study systematically reviews and evaluates measurement approaches for children’s outdoor free play used in existing literature.
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Socio-Economic
Out-of-school time use in Pakistan: a qualitative study featuring youth’s voices.
Journal of Research on Adolescence
Kerai, S., Ibrahim, M., Molyneux, T. M., Hussain, U., Gadermann, A., Kassam, R., Pardhan, A., & Oberle, E.The current study addresses the lack of out-of-school time (OST) research in low- and middle-income countries by exploring OST use in the context of Pakistan and incorporating youth’s voices.
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Socio-Economic
Childhood poverty and school readiness: differences by poverty type and immigration background.
SSM – Population Health
Randip Gill, Mohammad Ehsanul Karim, Joseph H. Puyat, et al.This study reinforces the importance of economic policies to support low-income families, which have been associated with a reduction in negative health outcomes for children.
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.
Indigenous Initiatives at HELP