7Number of international regionsimplementing the EDI in 2014,including Jordan, Pakistan, Peru,Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, SouthKorea, and USA.

Greetings! It has been an exciting year for the EDI team, one whichhas included packing up and moving offices twice. Amidst all thechaos we have completed one of our largest implementation yearsever.

The EDI continues to gain traction internationally and in this issue weare happy to share with you the story of the EDI's use in Peru. Back inCanada, we have implemented the EDI in 12 of 13 provinces andterritories, and in this issue we are bringing you stories fromNorthwest Territories (NWT).

Welcome to the Fall2015Newsletter

EDI history in Peru

Originally piloted by Antonio Ruizde Montoya University between2010­2012, the EDI is now beingimplemented at a national level toprovide a baseline of childdevelopment in Peru's NationalAssessment of Early Education.

Read more on Page 2

EDI history in NWT

Implementing in a territory with apopulation size under 45,000provides unique challenges.Collaborations between theOCCS and the NWT governmenthave helped tailor the EDI to theterritories’ unique culturalenvironments.

Read more on Page 4

8,522Number of EDIs collected in 2014in Canada, spanning BC,Newfoundland, NorthwestTerritories, and Nova Scotia.

181,767Number of EDIs collected in 2015in Canada, spanning BC,Manitoba, Northwest Territories,Nova Scotia, and Ontario.

3Number of international regionsimplementing the EDI in 2015,including Australia, China, andUSA.

2014 IMPLEMENTATION HIGHLIGHTS

2015 IMPLEMENTATION HIGHLIGHTS

headquarters training (teacherstraining at the logistics officeavailable in capital cities), groupitinerant training (teacherstraining in rural or urban areas atpreschools or communitybuildings), and individualitinerant training (training offeredto one teacher belonging to adistant preschool in a rural area,accessible by boat, airplane,and/or other means). In addition,to determine the concurrentvalidity of the EDI, threeinstruments were applied in aquality control sample of 1,441children in 107 classes: theQuestionnaire of Strengths andDifficulties (SDQ), the PeabodyPicture Vocabulary Test (PPVT)and the McCarthy Scales ofChildren's Abilities (MCSA).Currently, the results of theNational Assessment are beingprocessed.

Submitted by Vanessa SánchezJiménez, Coordinadora deEvaluación en Ministerio deEducación de, Perú.

In Peru, several important stepsare underway to improve theeffectiveness of the different servicesoffered nationwide to children undersix, including improving themonitoring and evaluation ofprograms and projects focused onearly childhood.

Based on this interest and in order tounderstand the potential of the EDI,between 2010 and 2012, AntonioRuiz de Montoya University with thesupport of Bernard Van LeerFoundation validated the instrumentin a sample of 1,213 childrenbetween 4 and 5 years old from 36schools located in the districts ofVentanilla and Surco, in Lima.Results showed that the EDI hadadequate psychometric properties andcharacteristics of data collected weresimilar to those found in othercountries, so it could be used in largerscale studies.

In 2013, the Ministry of Education ofPeru (MINEDU) conducted a pilotapplication of the Early ChildhoodEnvironment Rating Scale­RevisedEdition (ECERS­R) and the EDI in50 preschools in the regions ofAyacucho and Apurimac, located inurban and rural areas, both public and

private preschools with a minimumof five students enrolled in theclass. In total, 874 childrenparticipated in the study. Theresults showed moderate to highinternal consistency of the EDIdomains (between 0.64 and 0.93),very similar to the data collectedby Antonio Ruiz de MontoyaUniversity.

In the second half of 2014, for thefirst time in Peru, the NationalAssessment of Early Educationwas performed to establish anational baseline on the quality ofearly years learning environmentsand child development of childrenattending classes for 5 year olds.There were three specificobjectives: (1) to evaluate thequality of the educationalenvironment in early childhoodeducation; (2) evaluate childdevelopment in children attendingclasses for 5 year olds; and (3)relate some family and educationalcontextual factors with childdevelopment.

To achieve this second objective,EDI data were collected for 16,105children in 1,022 classes for 5 yearolds, belonging to 946 public andprivate preschools in urban andrural areas, located in all regions ofthe country. In order to collect anational sample it was necessary todevelop three strategies to trainteachers and implement the EDI:

Data was collectedfor 16,105 childrenin 1,022 classrooms

Peru's National Assessment ofEarly Education uses EDI

EDI ON THE GO | Fall 2015 Page 2

Results found that children in themost deprived quintile were 2­8times more likely than the mostaffluent to be vulnerable on one ormore EDI domains. However,substantial developmentalvulnerability was found across allfive deprivation quintiles, not onlythe most deprived.

Very Read­y programcomes to Point Douglas

The Winnipeg Foundation is helpingfund the Very Read­y program at theManidoo Gi Miini Gonaan child­carecentres in the Point Douglas area ofWinnipeg. The program is a jointeffort between Manidoo andBookmates, a non­profit literacygroup, and intends to build andreinforce speech and language skills.The Point Douglas area was chosenbecause EDI results showed childrenthere scored lower than their peers.

Books 'n' Bubbles buschanges route

The Books ‘n’ Bubbles bus, theStrong Start program’s 41­footrenovated school bus with onboardliteracy and learning activities, ischanging its route to include LakeCowichan, BC. The bus will nowmake the trip twice a week after EDIresults highlighted high vulnerabilityrates among the town's children.

Avenues of Changelaunches in Guildford

West and Port Coquitlam

Avenues of Change, a five­year,place­based early childhoodinitiative aiming to give childrenthe best start in life, has launchedin two British Columbianeighbourhoods. These areas werechosen because EDI vulnerabilityrates were higher than average. Upto $800,000 per year is beinginvested in each neighbourhoodwith the objective of seeing morekids ready to succeed by the timethey start school.

Movement to Movementfestival looks for funding

An idea to host an event forfamilies in the Chatham­Kent areato engage with nature, movement,and art called the Movement toMovement festival is searching forfunding sources after falling shortof online voting for a CanadianScholarship Trust Plan funding

For a morecomprehensive list of thelatest EDI publications,

see page 6.

EDI in your communitycompetition. EDI data identifiedvulnerability in the physical healthand well­being domain and Movementto Movement was planned to enhanceand expand families’ access toactivities that could enhance fine andgross motor skills.

Three new PLC coming toAlberta

Three new Parent Link Centres (PLC)are planned for Alberta. The newcentres will be located in Edmonton,Innisfail, and Sylvan Lake, in partbecause EDI results identified areaswhere children were experiencinggreat difficulties. PLCs provideparents and caregivers with freeresources and support early childhooddevelopment.

Spotlight on EDI researchGaston, Edwards, and Tober (2015)used EDI and KPS data fromBrantford and Brant County, Ontarioto examine the association betweenparental leave and type of care duringthe first 12 months of life andchildren’s development in seniorkindergarten. Parental care during achild's first year of life was associatedwith higher EDI scores on some, butnot all, domains.

A study out of Scotland authored byGeddes et al. (2014) linked EDI dataon 1,090 children from the EastLothian area to levels of deprivation.

Smithers et al. (2014) examinedwhether anaemia, a deficiency of redblood cells or of hemoglobin in theblood, was associated with adverseperinatal outcomes and laterdevelopmental vulnerability, asmeasured by the AEDC. The authorsfound that although anaemia isassociated with perinatalcomplications such as increased riskfor fetal distress and preterm birth,there was no association with laterdevelopmental vulnerability aftercontrolling for maternal, obstetric, andsociodemographic covariables.

EDI ON THE GO | Fall 2015 Page 3

We want to hear howyour community is usingEDI data! Contact us at

edisrl@mcmaster.ca

In 2011­12, the Government of theNorthwest Territories (GNWT)conducted a comprehensive review ofthe previous 10 years of investmentsin early childhood development toinform new directions for EarlyChildhood Development (ECD) inthe Northwest Territories (NWT).The review identified a significantgap in program monitoring andassessment in ECD programs andservices.

In order to help bridge this gap, theGNWT began discussions with theOfford Center for Child Studies(OCCS) around the possibility ofimplementing the Early DevelopmentInstrument (EDI). The subsequentcollaboration between OCCS and theNWT Department of Education,Culture and Employment (ECE) ledto the development of an instrumenttailored to the territories’ uniquecultural environments.

During the initial development of anEDI for the NWT, a great deal ofattention was given to uniquecharacteristics of northern childrenand how these might be captured.Following engagement with a varietyof stakeholders, includingrepresentatives of six differentcultural groups within the NWT, theEDI was expanded to include theSense of Identity Questionnaire(SIQ).

The SIQ has been developedspecifically for use in the NWT tohelp understand the role of culturalidentity in child development. Thisquestionnaire was developed withNWT kindergarten teachers,Aboriginal cultural advisors, ECE,and McMaster University to beincluded as part of the EDI acrossthe NWT. The SIQ askskindergarten teachers to answereighteen questions which describethree aspects of a child’s sense ofidentity, including:

• a sense of community and/orfamily;• a sense of place (the land, localcommunity and/or the North); and• a sense of belonging.

As the SIQ is still a newassessment tool, it requires furtherstudy in order to understand its fullpotential. However, early findingssuggest much can be learned fromlinking children’s sense of identitywith information about theirdevelopmental health.

The first implementation of theEDI (including the SIQ) in theNWT took place in March 2012.The EDI has now been completedfor every kindergarten student inthe NWT for four consecutiveyears. Due to the small populationin the NWT, the first three years ofdata were compiled to form asingle baseline dataset that willform the basis of understandingchildren’s development movingforward.

The EDI is also a significantcomponent of the NWT Rightfrom the Start Framework andAction Plan. The Framework isdesigned to ensure that every child,family, and community in the

in the Northwest Territories

NWT, including those most at risk,has access to high quality,comprehensive, integrated ECDprograms and services that arecommunity driven, sustainable, andculturally relevant. UnderCommitment 4 of the Action Plan,the GNWT will oversee theimproved coordination andintegration of ECD programs andservices, including strengtheningthe alignment between earlychildhood programs and servicesand the needs of communities. TheEDI continues to play a criticalrole in this endeavour, providinginformation to guide informeddecision­making that will help tostrengthen programs and servicesin the NWT in the area of earlychildhood and beyond.

Submitted by the Government ofthe Northwest Territories,Department of Education, Cultureand Employment.

EDI ON THE GO | Fall 2015 Page 4

For more informationon the Sense of

Identity questionnaireand its creation pleaseread the 2012 paper byMagdalena Janus andSusan Hopkins titled

"ConstructingMeasures of Northern

Children's IdentityThrough Dialogue"

available through thePimatisiwin website.

The EDI has a new website!

To go along with a redevelopedwebsite for the entire Offord Centre(available at www.offordcentre.com),the EDI has revamped its ownwebsite.

The new website is located atwww.edi.offordcentre.com and isorganized in sections tailored todifferent audiences. For example,now parents, teachers, projectpartners, and researchers can betternavigate the site to find informationtailored to their interests. Parents maywant to know more about how theEDI protects their child’s privacy,whereas teachers may be moreinterested in finding resources to helpthem complete the EDIs. We hope thechanges we have made will help allusers better navigate our site and findthe information they need quicklyand easily.

To go along with a revamped websitethe EDI has also joined social mediaand can be found on both Twitter(@EDI_OCCS) and Facebook. Herewe will share the latest EDI news,events, and reports, as well as someof the exciting work being done inthe field of early child development

The Offord Centre moves toMIP

After many years at Hamilton’shistoric Chedoke Hospital, the OffordCentre has moved down theHamilton mountain to The Atrium atMcMaster Innovation Park, located 2km from McMaster University. Ournew address is 175 Longwood RoadSouth, Hamilton, ON, L8P 0A1

Cindy Walsh retires fromMcMaster

After 30 years at McMasterUniversity, Cindy Walsh saidfarewell to her Offord Centrecolleagues and called it a career.Cindy worked at the Offord Centresince the inception of the EDI andwas instrumental in itsimplementation, especially during theearly years.

news

Joanne Schroeder leavesHELP

In July 2014, Joanne Schroedergave an emotional goodbye toHELP, where she served asDeputy Director. Joanne acceptedan offer to take the position ofExecutive Director at the ComoxValley Child DevelopmentAssociation, located closer to herhome. Pippa Rowcliffe, whoplayed a lead role with HELP forthe past 7 years, replaced Joanneas Deputy Director.

EDI ON THE GO | Fall 2015 Page 5

Want to read aboutthe latest EDI news,events, and reports?

Visit us online orconnect with us

through Facebookand Twitter.

Brinkman, S. A., Gregory, T. A., Goldfeld,S., Lynch, J. W., & Hardy, M. (2014).Data resource profile: The AustralianEarly Development Index (AEDI).International Journal of Epidemiology, 1­8. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyu085

Brinkman, S. A., Hasan, A., Jung, H.,Kinnell, A., & Pradhan, M. (2015). Theimpact of expanding access to childhoodservices in rural Indonesia: Evidence fromtwo cohorts of children (Policy ResearchWorking Paper No. WPS 7372) Retrievedfrom World Bank website:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/07/24808116/impact­expanding­access­early­childhood­services­rural­indonesia­evidence­two­cohorts­children

Curtin, M., Baker, D., Staines, A., &Perry, I. J. (2014). Are the specialeducational needs of children in their firstyear in primary school in Ireland beingidentified: A cross­sectional study. BMCPediatrics, 14, 52. doi: 10.1186/1471­2431­14­52

Duku, E., Janus, M., & Brinkman, S.(2014). Investigation of the cross­nationalequivalence of a measurement of earlychild development. Child IndicatorsResearch, 8, 471­489. doi:10.1007/s12187­014­9249­3

Gaston, A., Edwards, S. A., & Tober, J.A.(2015). Parental leave and child carearrangements during the first 12 months oflife are associated with children’sdevelopment five years later. InternationalJournal of Child, Youth & Family Studies,6(2), 230­251.

Geddes, R., Woolfson, L. M., McNicol, S.,Booth, J. N., Wray, S., Hardie, S., ... &Frank, J. (2014). Translating research intopractice: A cross­sectional study using theEarly Development Instrument to assessearly years interventions in local levelpublic health practice. The Lancet, 384,

S33. doi: 10.1016/S0140­6736(14)62159­0

Goldfeld, S., O’Connor, M., Quach, J.,Tarasuik, J., & Kvalsvig, A. (2014).Learning trajectories of children withspecial health care needs across theseverity spectrum. Academic Pediatrics.doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2014.09.001

Falster, K., Jorm, L., Eades, S., Lynch,J., Banks, E., Brownell, M., … Randall,D. (2015). What factors contribute topositive early childhood health anddevelopment in Australian Aboriginalchildren? Protocol for a population­based cohort study using linkedadministrative data (The SeedingSuccess Study). BMJ Open, 5, 1­13.doi: 10.1136/bmjopen­2015­007898

Janus, M., Duku, E., Brinkman, S.,Dunkelberg, E., Chianca, T., & Marino,E. (2014). Socioemotional developmentand its correlates among 5­year­oldchildren in Peru and Brazil. The Journalof Latino­Latin American Studies, 6(1),40­53.

Krishnan, V. (2014). The 14 decimalplaces (default) in EDI’s Norm II cut­off values: They do it, but do theyincrease accuracy? Alberta: Early ChildDevelopment Mapping (ECMAP)Project Alberta.

Martens, P. J., Chateau, D. G., Burland,E. M., Finlayson, G. S., Smith, M. J.,Taylor, C. R., ... & Bolton, J. M. (2014).The effect of neighborhoodsocioeconomic status on education andhealth outcomes for children living insocial housing. American Journal ofPublic Health, 104, 2103­2113. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.302133

McCormack, J. M. & Verdon, S. E.(2015). Mapping speech pathologyservices to developmentally vulnerableand at­risk communities using theAustralian Early Development Census.

Recent publicationsInternational Journal of Speech­Language Pathology, 17, 273­286.doi: 10.3109/17549507.2015.1034175

Mousavi, A., & Krishnan, V. (2014).Setting the scope for Early ChildDevelopment Instrument (EDI): Apsychometric re­examination of thetool with Alberta data. SocialIndicators Research. doi:10.1007/s11205­014­0711­x

Razaz, N., Tremlett, H., Boyce, W. T.,Guhn, M., Joseph, K. S., & Marrie, R.A. (2015). Impact of parental multiplesclerosis on early childhooddevelopment: A retrospective cohortstudy. Multiple Sclerosis Journal, 1­12. doi: 10.1177/1352458514559298

Razaz, N., Boyce, W. T., Brownell,M., Jutte, D., Tremlett, H., Marrie, R.M., & Joseph, K. S. (2015). Five­minute Apgar score as a marker fordevelopmental vulnerability at 5 yearsof age. Arch Dis Child Fetal NeonatalEd, F1­F7. doi: 10.1136/archdischild­2015­308458

Sincovich, A., & Brinkman, S. (2014).AEDI: From research to policy. EveryChild, 20(1), 16­17.

Smithers, L. G., Gialamas, A., Scheil,W., Brinkman, S., & Lynch, J. W.(2014). Anaemia of pregnancy,perinatal outcomes and children'sdevelopmental vulnerability: a Whole­of­Population Study. Paediatric andPerinatal Epidemiology, 28, 381­390.doi: 10.1111/ppe.12149

EDI ON THE GO | Fall 2015 Page 6

Have a publicationusing EDI data?

Contactedisrl@mcmaster.ca