Preparing for the School Years
Results of the Early Development Instrument (EDI)
The EDI is a short questionnaire completed in Kindergarten which measures the status of children's development in the communities they live and grow in.
In 2009 in Canada, fewer than 5% of babies were born with any limits on their ability to develop.
By the age of 5 in 2015, 30.1% of children in the KFL&A area were considered vulnerable in one or more developmental domain, and this proportion has increased from 28.6% in 2011.
Here are the results for the KFL&A area in 2015, by domain.
Physical Health and Well-Being
In 2015 in the KFL&A area, 16.3% of children were vulnerable, 3.9% of children were at risk, and 79.8% of children were on track.
In Ontario, 16.1% of children were vulnerable in the Physical Health and Well-Being developmental domain.
Social Competence
In 2015 in the KFL&A area, 13.3% of children were vulnerable (a 5.2% increase from 2011), 14.4% of children were at risk, and 72.3% of children were on track.
In Ontario, 10.7% of children were vulnerable in the Social Competence developmental domain.
Emotional Maturity
In 2015 in the KFL&A area, 16.4% of children were vulnerable (a 4.6% increase from 2011), 14.7% of children were at risk, and 68.9% of children were on track.
In Ontario, 12.3% of children were vulnerable in the Emotional Maturity developmental domain.
Language and Cognitive Development
In 2015 in the KFL&A area, 7.5% of children were vulnerable, 13.7% of children were at risk, and 78.6% of children were on track.
In Ontario, 6.7% of children were vulnerable in the Language and Cognitive Development developmental domain.
Communication Skills and General Knowledge
In 2015 in the KFL&A area, 8.7% of children were vulnerable, 13.1% of children were at risk, and 78.3% of children were on track.
In Ontario, 10.2% of children were vulnerable in the Communication Skills and General Knowledge developmental domain.
Why does this matter?
The EDI allows for a deeper understanding of how our community is performing in the early years. This can help our community to plan for ways to support healthy child development.
Data sources used
- Early Development Index (EDI)
A full reference list and a print or digital copy of the report is available through Child and Babytalk in KFL&A.
More information about the data sources used is available online.