edi report - january 2015

EDI REPORT / JANUARY 2015

What can you do to ensure our children are ready for school?Informed communities can pave the way to success.

Hartford Foundation for Public Giving: Investing In Early Childhood

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is committed to promoting opportunities that ensure the region’s children are ready to learn and prepared to succeed in school and life.

Trinity College’s Cities, Suburbs and Schools Project, the Connecticut Data Collaborative and the University of Connecticut’s Mapping and Geographic Information Center (MAGIC ) analyzed and visualized the data to help communities examine outcomes in the context of neighborhoods, socioeconomics and community resources.

The lessons learned from this project will inform the Foundation’s education strategies and provide local communities with valuable information for their own decision-making.

The Foundation will work to advance local learning and action networks to explore, understand and act on the EDI data. We look forward to sharing the lessons learned from the project with a broad array of stakeholders at the local, regional and state levels.

PLEASE EMAIL US FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PROJECT: [email protected]

This work has been guided by the UCLA Center for Healthier Families, Children and

Communities which works with over 40 jurisdictions nationwide on the administration of EDI and the community conversations that emerge from a review of the findings, through UCLA’s Transforming Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Project (TECCS ).

EDI REPORT / JANUARY 2015

HFPG.ORG

H A R T F O R D F O U N D AT I O N F O R P U B L I C G I V I N G 2

Long before a child steps into a Kindergarten classroom, they are getting ready for school.

1 E D I R E P O R T / J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 5

Families and caregivers are the first teachers— and homes and neighborhoods are the first learning environments.

Positive relationships and supportive environments guide a young child’s

development and provide the foundation for future learning and well-being.

Families & communities can support child development by focusing on 5 key domains:

PHYSICAL HEALTH & WELL-BEING

example:

Can the child hold a pencil?

Is the child underweight or overweight?

SOCIAL COMPETENCE

example:

Does the child share with others?

Is the child self-confident?

EMOTIONAL MATURITY

example:

Is the child able to concentrate?

Would the child help someone that is hurt

or upset?

LANGUAGE & COGNITIVE

DEVELOPMENT

example:

Is the child interested in reading and writing?

Can the child tell a short story?

COMMUNICATION SKILLS & GENERAL

KNOWLEDGE

example:

Can the child communicate his/her own needs?

Can the child communicate with adults and children?

These areas—or domains—focus not only on academic success, but also the social and emotional development children need to get ready for school.

3 E D I R E P O R T / J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 5

The Early Development Instrument (EDI) helps identify whether children in

a neighborhood are entering Kindergarten On Track, At Risk, or Vulnerable.

Kindergarten teachers answer EDI survey questions about children's:

The 5 key domains contain 16 subdomains. EDI uses these

indicators to determine readiness of children for school.

The EDI Pilot: Galvanizing Community Action to Ready Children for School

Overall social competence

Responsibility and respect

Approaches to learning

Readiness to explore new things

Pro-social and helping behavior

Anxious and fearful behavior

1

2

3

4

5

6

Interest in literacy / numeracy and memory

Advanced literacy skills

Basic numeracy skills

Communication and general knowledge

16

15

14

13Aggressive behavior

Ability to concentrate / demonstrate patience

Physical readiness for the school day

Physical independence

Gross and fine motor skills

Basic literacy skills

7

8

9

10

11

12

In partnership with the school districts and municipal leadership of both Hartford and

West Hartford*, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is pi loting the use of EDI

and a collective action strategy in these two towns. This approach is already being used

in over 40 communities in the United States, as well as internationally.

Residents, parents, teachers, and other community stakeholders can use this information

to examine and build conditions for success in school and life.

EDI looks at the whole population of children in a neighborhood. It is not a diagnostic tool

for individual children or a means to evaluate individual teachers or programs.

* In West Hartford, we are implement ing th is project in par tnership with community-based organizat ion Great by E ight .


5 EDI REPORT / JANUARY 2015

We've started by looking at how children develop in Hartford and West Hartford neighborhoods.

AT RISKChildren who score between the 10th and 25th percentile.

ON TRACKChildren who score at or above the 25th percentile of the national EDI population.

VULNERABLEThose who score at or below the 10th percentile in any domain.

The EDI was completed by Kindergarten teachers—in Hartford Public Schools,

West Hartford Public Schools, and Jumoke Academy— about the children in

their classrooms during the 2013–2014 academic year.

Teachers provided data on 2,500 Kindergarten students, representing 85%

of the Kindergarten-age population in the neighborhoods of Hartford and

West Hartford, CT.


HARTFORD

33% ON TRACK 27% AT RISK 40% VULNERABLE

WEST HARTFORD

50% ON TRACK 24% AT RISK 26% VULNERABLE

WHAT DID THE OVERALL RESULTS PROMPT US TO OBSERVE AND ASK?

Despite the tremendous commitment to

promote high-quality preschools in these

municipalities, there is still a significant

number of children who are not “on track”

to be ready for Kindergarten.

Children show vulnerability in developmental

areas even in neighborhoods where there are

existing resources.

How can we better understand what it takes to be “on track”?

How can available resources be better utilized?


Looking at EDI results by neighborhood helps create context for the data.

PERCENTAGE VULNERABLE IN 1 OR MORE DOMAINS

These results point to questions like: Is there a relationship between neighborhood

resources and vulnerability? What other socioeconomic variables might have an

impact? What kinds of assets do multilingual children bring to our schools?

Context helps you see, understand and act.

For each neighborhood, on top of the EDI results, you can

layer census and socioeconomic data, resources such as

parks and family centers, parent engagement variables, and

factors like English proficiency, special education and more.

Percentage of children “on track” in each domain, by neighborhood:

No Data Avai lable

0.1%—19%

19.1%—25%

25.1%—32%

32.1%—38%

38.1% +

EAST HARTFORD

WINDSORBLOOMFIELD

WETHERSFIELD

NEWINGTON

FARMINGTON

AVON

Mountain West

Golf Acres

Bishop'sCorner

West

BuenaVista

WestHartford

Center

FarmingtonEast

El izabeth Park

Rockledge

Corbin 'sCorner

NewPark

BehindThe

Rocks

Barry Square

SouthEnd

South West

AsylumHil l

Northeast

Blue Hi l ls

KennedyPark

Parkvi l leFrog

Hol lowSheldon-

Charter Oak

South Green

West End

ClayArsenal

UpperAlbany

WEST HARTFORD HARTFORD

HA

RT

FOR

DW

EST

HA

RT

FOR

D H A R T F O R D F O U N D AT I O N F O R P U B L I C G I V I N G 8

N E I G H B O R H O O D S

Asylum Hi l l

Barry Square

Behind The Rocks

Blue Hi l l s

Clay Arsenal

Frog Hol low

Northeast

Parkv i l le

Sheldon Charter Oak

South End

South Green

South West

Upper Albany

West End

Bishops Corner West

Buena Vista

Corbins Corner

El izabeth Park

Farmington East

Golf Acres

Kennedy Park

Mounta in West

New Park

Rockledge

West Hartford Center

50%

60%

57%

71%

71%

51%

58%

49%

61%

59%

69%

76%

64%

58%

80%

79%

69%

84%

72%

74%

55%

79%

49%

70%

82%

66%

68%

62%

79%

70%

58%

61%

52%

71%

75%

69%

75%

75%

75%

83%

74%

62%

83%

77%

82%

53%

76%

55%

70%

87%

45%

62%

61%

73%

64%

57%

51%

41%

46%

62%

69%

76%

53%

63%

79%

79%

74%

81%

79%

78%

55%

81%

60%

79%

82%

64%

64%

61%

79%

65%

64%

58%

50%

64%

73%

54%

79%

64%

48%

83%

76%

64%

83%

67%

84%

55%

88%

63%

73%

78%

58%

65%

64%

76%

57%

56%

57%

55%

68%

65%

63%

81%

60%

67%

75%

79%

62%

78%

68%

76%

45%

79%

60%

64%

77%

Communication Skills Emotional Maturity Language & Cognition Physical Health Social Competence


What do the results tell you? Is there a story you can tell about what you

see? Do you agree with the results? Did anything surprise you? What did

not surprise you? What new questions do the results prompt for you?

What can be done to help children get ready for school?Shared understanding can shape and motivate shared responsibi l ity.

?

CAREGIVERS CAN:

How do you ensure children are healthy

and develop necessary motor skills?

COMMUNITIES CAN:

What are means to build vocabulary, basic literacy and analytical skills?

How can interactions help children learn

to understand others and be understood?

The EDI findings can start a conversation, both in your town and your own neighborhood.

How can you help young children build

social skills and self control?

How can you inspire curiosity, eagerness and thoughtfulness

in children?

H A R T F O R D F O U N D AT I O N F O R P U B L I C G I V I N G 1 0

What strategies will support children in both Hartford and West Hartford?

* These are the combined totals for Hartford and West Hartford for the 2013–14 academic year.

R E A D I N E S S I N E D I S U B D O M A I N S

Overall Social Competence

Responsibility & Respect

Approaches to Learning

Readiness to Explore New Things

Pro-Social & Helping Behavior

Anxious & Fearful Behavior

Aggressive Behavior

Ability to Concentrate & Demonstrate Patience

Physical Readiness for the School Day

Physical Independence

Gross & Fine Motor Skills

Basic Literacy Skills

Interest in Literacy, Numeracy & Memory

Advanced Literacy Skills

Basic Numeracy Skills

Communication & General Knowledge

16%

13%

18%

4%

37%

4%

13%

22%

6%

22%

42%

11%

19%

18%

21%

51%

50%

25%

38%

24%

31%

12%

9%

20%

N/A

N/A

18%

16%

14%

6%

12%

22%

33%

62%

43%

71%

31%

83%

78%

58%

94%

78%

40%

72%

67%

76%

67%

27%

Social Competence

Social Competence

Social Competence

Social Competence

Emotional Maturity

Emotional Maturity

Emotional Maturity

Emotional Maturity

Physical Health & Well-Being



Language & Cognition




Communication Skills & General Knowledge

Not Ready * Somewhat Ready * Ready * Domain

You can use EDI to affect positive change in your neighborhood.

1 1 EDI REPORT / JANUARY 2015

Collective dialogue and action leads to smart solutions. You have an opportunity to seek input, buy-in and participation from residents,

caregivers, service providers, community leaders and public officials.

Promote community discussions about school readiness

There are many different ways you can approach these issues, both in your

neighborhood and town. Let's look at the resources and work together to

create real impact and a bright future for our children.


Inform strategic planning and decision making

Train parent leaders to advocate for changes in initiatives in their community

Engage families in different neighborhoods around early childhood development and learning

Increase community awareness about the importance of early childhood development

Improve professional development and support for those in the early childhood and family support field

Improve collaboration and integration of efforts that support children and families

Improve existing programs

What are you inspired to do?

Inform funding and placement of new programs

Develop special projects that will foster change where their children most need it

Improve quality of existing programs for families and young children

Ideas to advance a community dialogue and motivate action:

Together, we can better understand school readiness and determine what

it wil l take to improve early child development in our neighborhoods.


Community members can use this information to examine and

build conditions for success in school and life.

Maps showing census data, neighborhood resources, educational attainment for parents and more.

We encourage you to visit the website and engage with the findings. These are just a few examples of the types of data available online, ready for download.

For more information on the EDI process and results, to request an EDI presentation

at your institution, or to suggest potential next steps for action, email [email protected].

Interactive charts with percentage of children vulnerable by domain, for each of the twenty-five neighborhoods surveyed.

Dynamic tables comparing EDI results to factors such as Special Education, English Language Proficiency and parent engagement.

Explore Neighborhoods Analyze Readiness Compare Variables Parent Meetings and Trainings

Professional Development Trainings

Press Releases and Media Briefings

Community Forums

Reports or Policy Briefs for Public Officials and Community Leaders

Community Dashboards or Report Cards

Resource Fairs

Social Media Outreach

Infographics to Explain Issues and Key Findings

Explore the initial EDI results, visualized: http://edi.ctdata.org


edi report - january 2015

Documents