Understanding the Early Years (UEY) is a national research initiative. It provides communities with information to enable them to make informed decisions about the best policies and most appropriate programs for families with young children. It seeks to provide information about the influence of community factors on children's early development and to improve the community's capacity to use these data in monitoring child development and creating effective community-based responses.
This report is one of twelve community reports describing children's outcomes and explaining them in terms of three factors: family background, family processes, and community factors. Studies in one pilot community and five study communities were conducted in 2000-2001. This report is based on one of seven communities studied in 2001-2002. Children's outcomes were assessed in three major categories: physical health and well-being, cognitive skills, and behavioural measures.
Each evaluation comprised several measures:
- Family background includes information on the parents' income, level of education, and occupational status;
- Family processes include positive parenting practices, engagement in learning activities, family functioning, and maternal mental health;
- Community factors include social support and social capital, neighbourhood quality and safety, use of recreational, cultural, and educational resources, and residential stability.
Data for these reports were derived from several sources:
- The National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) Community Study is a national instrument used to gather data directly from parents and children concerning the health and well-being of Canada's children 5-6 years of age;
- The Early Development Instrument (EDI) is based on a teachers' checklist of their kindergarten students that assesses how prepared children are for learning at school;
- The NLSCY and EDI data collected from the study area allows for comparison across the seven UEY communities. Where possible, the outcomes of the children in this community were compared with averages for their province and for Canada as a whole. If data were not available at those levels, the outcomes of the children are compared across the seven UEY communities of Hampton, New Brunswick; Montreal, Quebec; Dixie-Bloor — Mississauga, Ontario; Niagara Falls, Ontario; South Eastman, Manitoba; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; and Abbotsford, British Columbia.
This report provides results from the Montreal study area. In general, the children in the study area, which represents only 10% of the total Montreal area (Appendix A), show signs of positive development and preparedness for learning at school. The children in Montreal fared well in physical health and well-being, social competence, and communication skills and general knowledge. There are, however, developmental outcomes which could be improved. The community would benefit from efforts to improve neighbourhood safety and quality, and increased social support. The study showed that parents take a less active part in the learning activities of their children and do not use community resources fully. These factors contributed to the low outcomes of children in the study area in some cognitive and behavioural aspects of development.
The community would also benefit from efforts to improve other domains. The Montreal study area has a high prevalence of hyperactive children. It should be noted that this was based on the parent's perception and not a professional diagnosis. Also, there is a high proportion of children with low scores in emotional maturity. Since behavioural problems upon entry to school tend to persist throughout the schooling years, they are a risk factor for low school achievement and disaffection from school. In addition, since students with behavioural problems tend to be concentrated in certain classes in a few schools, the risks associated with behavioural problems are compounded. However, the frequency of other behavioural problems assessed (emotional disorders and indirect aggression, for example) is lower than the national norm, and the children scored high on pro-social behaviour.
Valuable lessons have been learned from the UEY initiative about the needs and strengths of communities with different economic, social, and physical characteristics, and about how they are each working to improve their young children's outcomes. This community-based research is important because it allows a community to understand how well its youngest citizens are developing and lends insight into which factors contribute to success and warrant further consideration.
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