If you have been following the news lately, you may have heard that according to new research, one in three children in B.C. are starting school with vulnerabilities in one or more areas that are critical to their healthy development. This information comes from the newly released Wave 6 of the Early Development Instrument (EDI) by UBC’s Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP). Since 2001, HELP has collected EDI data for more than 245,000 kindergarten children in the province.
According to the EDI, “vulnerable children are those who, without additional support and care, are more likely to experience challenges in their school years and beyond.” The questionnaire is completed by kindergarten teachers and assesses five broad domains of child development, including: physical health and well-being; social competence; emotional maturity; language and cognitive development and communication and general knowledge.
When we look at the data and trends for Bowen Island (combined with Horseshoe Bay and Lion’s Bay in the EDI maps) it’s easy to see that our kids are doing pretty well against the provincial averages. In Wave 6, 25 per cent of kids living in these three communities were deemed vulnerable on one or more scales; the provincial average is just over 32 per cent. At the same time, we are seeing the same developmental trends over time on Bowen – both positive and troubling – as across the rest of the province.
In general, kids are thriving when it comes to language and cognitive development and doing OK when it comes to communication and general knowledge and – to a lesser extent – physical health and well-being (the rates of vulnerability on this scale are relatively low but increasing). Where we are seeing steady and significant increases in vulnerability, both locally and provincially (and emerging data suggest, across the country and the globe) are in the domains of social competence and emotional maturity. Together, these two scales paint a concerning picture of the state of today’s kids’ mental health (remember, we are talking about six year olds here).
The low vulnerability rates in language and cognitive development – which reflects how well kids are doing with basic and advanced literacy and numeracy – are reflective of a broad scale effort by local communities and the province to tackle challenges in academic preparedness head on. The success of such as Strong Starts and full-day kindergarten is evident in the data. Language and cognitive development is the only domain where we are seeing a significant decrease in vulnerability. However, as a parent and as someone working in community development, I’m left to ask at what cost? Our kids are meeting benchmarks in reading, writing, and early math but, according to their teachers, are anxious and fearful, struggling with emotional regulation, and displaying aggressive, inattentive and hyperactive behaviours. What we need is an intentional and comprehensive effort by parents, educators, community leaders and policy makers to make the same investments in children’s social and emotional well-being as we have in promoting their mastery of the three “R”s.
According to HELP researchers: “Young children need opportunities to explore their world, play, solve problems, and learn to speak and listen to others.” As the Provincial EDI Report (available at edibc2016.ca) states, in general society looks to parents and caregivers to create the kinds of environments where kids can thrive. However, the report also confirms that parents’ ability to create these environments “is affected by the access they have to social networks, high quality supportive programs and communities that are responsive to children and their families.”
From a service provider perspective, it becomes clear we need to collectively change the focus and expand the question to how best to support families – many of whom are facing ever-increasing demands on their time and resources – and not just children. From a parent’s perspective, the question remains of what can we do to – amidst these ever-increasing demands – to ensure our children are not just prepared for school and academic success, but for life?
Over the next few weeks, I hope to explore some of what the research has to say about supporting the social and emotional well-being of children at the same time as we encourage physical health and wellness and foster a life-long love of learning and exploration.
A Bowen resident since 2011, Kerry Watts is thrilled to be raising her three kids in this incredible community. She has been working with children and families for more than 15 years and these days spends most of her non-parenting time co-ordinating both the North Shore Connect for Kids Early Years Table and the First Years Count: Community Action Program for Children.
