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Understanding the Early Years An Update of Early Childhood Development Results in Four Canadian Communities - July 2005

V. Early Childhood Development in Prince Edward Island

This chapter describes the results for Prince Edward Island for five sets of measures. As in the previous two chapters, the first two sets of results describe the demographic characteristics, family processes, and community factors, based on data collected in 2000 and 2004, and using the measures described in Chapter II. These findings are followed with a presentation of results pertaining to early childhood outcomes, based on the direct assessments and the indirect assessments by parents and teachers. For each analysis, the results for 2000 and 2004 are compared, and changes that are statistically significant are indicated with an arrow pointing upward for positive changes, and a downward-pointing arrow for negative changes. For the three sets of outcome measures, the results are also compared to national norms. Results that differ significantly from national norms are indicated with bold text.

A. Demographic characteristics

Note: Arrows indicate a statistically significant increase or decrease from 2000 to 2004.

Table 5-1 displays the demographic characteristics for Prince Edward Island for 2000 and 2004. Average family income increased substantially during that period, with the average income of the 2004 sample at $58,400, compared with $50,400 for the 2000 sample. Levels of parental education also rose significantly, increasing from 12.7 to 13.4 years for mother’s education, and from 12.2 to 12.8 years for father’s education. The percentage of mothers who were not working outside the home remained steady at about 30%, while the percentage of fathers not working outside the home declined from 16.1% to 12.2%, although this change was not statistically significant. About one in five children in Prince Edward Island were living in single parent families. Only about 1% of the children in the sample were Aboriginal.

B. Family and community factors

The 2004 results for Prince Edward Island showed significant improvement in five areas. The scores on Responsive Parenting increased from 7.2 to 7.5. Also, parents were more engaged with their children, with scores rising from 7.6 to 8.3, while their use of resources also increased, from 3.9 to 5.5. Levels of Social Support increased from 7.9 to 8.1. The results for neighbourhood quality and safety were mixed, with safety increasing from 7.2 to 7.4, while the ratings of overall quality declined from 6.8 to 6.5.

Note: Arrows indicate a statistically significant increase or decrease from 2000 to 2004.

C. Direct assessments of children’s outcomes

Note: Figures in bold text differ significantly (p < .10) from the Canadian mean of 100.
Arrows indicate a statistically significant increase or decrease from 2000 to 2004.

The average scores on the test of Receptive Vocabulary fell from 105.5 in 2000 to 101.1 in 2004. Although a decline of 4 points is large and statistically significant, it may be attributable to sampling error (i.e., random fluctuations associated with the particular sample that happens to be selected), given that the results are based on a sample size of only about 500 students. The same change is not evident in the scores for the Who Am I developmental assessment, which remained steady at about one-and-a-half points above the national average.

D. Parents’ assessments of children’s behavioural outcomes

The average score on parents’ assessment of Positive Behaviour, shown in Table 5-4, fell from 100.1 in 2000 to 97.9 in 2004, a decline that was statistically significant. Consistent with this finding, there was a significant increase, from 6.0% to 10.1%, in the prevalence of children considered to have an emotional problem or anxiety. The prevalence of children with aggression or conduct disorders was also comparable to the national average, while the prevalence of children with hyperactivity or indirect aggression remained below national norms at about 5 to 6%.

Note: Figures in bold text differ significantly (p < .10) from the Canadian mean of 10 percent.
Arrows indicate a statistically significant increase or decrease from 2000 to 2004.

E. Teachers’ assessments of children’s early development

Note: Figures in bold text differ significantly (p < .10) from the Canadian mean.
Arrows indicate a statistically significant increase or decrease from 2000 to 2004.

The results derived from teachers’ assessments using the Early Development Instrument did not change substantially from 2000 to 2004, with the exception of Language and Cognitive Development. On this measure, children had higher average scores, rising from 8.3 in 2000 to 9.0 in 2004. This is inconsistent with the results based on the test of Receptive Vocabulary, which fell by 4 points. This discrepancy is discussed in the final chapter of this report. On all five measures of the Early Development Instrument, teachers’ ratings were significantly above national norms.

F. Summary of Findings for Prince Edward Island

The findings suggest that early childhood development outcomes in Prince Edward Island are relatively stable and generally above national norms. The community has made significant strides in parenting processes related to children’s development, particularly in the areas of responsive parenting, engagement with children, and the use of community resources. Prince Edward Island also tends to have a relatively low prevalence of children with significant behaviour problems. Given this profile, Prince Edward Island is in a position to focus its efforts on universal interventions aimed at improving all children’s outcomes, as well as performance-targeted interventions aimed at ensuring children who arrive at school with significant challenges have the support they need to acquire reading skills during the first few years of schooling.