Developmental health is based on the idea that our experiences and environments shape brain development. These early social and physical experiences can have a lasting impact on our health and well-being.[1] Research shows that vulnerability in early childhood development is associated with negative outcomes later in life (academic, social, behavioural, health). [2]
Senior kindergarten students who are vulnerable on at least one EDI domain |
About the MeasureThis measure comes from the Early Development Instrument (EDI), a questionnaire completed by kindergarten teachers in the second half of the school year. The EDI is a reliable tool for measuring the developmental health of five year old children.[3] The EDI measures children's ability to meet age-appropriate developmental expectations at school entry in five domains:
Children are considered "vulnerable" if they are scored low (below the 10th percentile) on any of the five domains of the EDI. A higher percentage of vulnerability means more children are struggling. Key FindingsThe levels of vulnerability in Wellington County (30.5%) and Guelph (30.0%) are on par with Ontario (29.6%) and are lower than Dufferin (35.7%). This means that fewer students in Wellington County and Guelph scored low on at least one EDI domain compared to Dufferin. Data at the municipal level can be found in the downloadable Excel file at the bottom of this page.
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Source: Early Development Instrument, 2018. Prepared by the County of Dufferin and the County of Wellington. WDG Report Card Coalition (distributor). Last updated December 2021. LimitationsThe EDI data presented here include results for senior kindergarten children attending schools in local public and Catholic boards. EDI results for children with special needs are reported separately. EDI results are applicable only to groups of children and are not intended for determining, assessing, or diagnosing individual children.
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[1] Developmental Health and the Wealth of Nations: Social, Biological and Educational Dynamics. Daniel P. Keating, Clyde Hertzman, editors. The Guilford Press. N.Y. 1999.
[2] Offord Centre for Child Studies. (2016). What is the EDI? Available at: https://edi.offordcentre.com/about/what-is-the-edi/
[3] Janus, M, et.al. (2007) The Early Development Instrument: Population Based Measure for Communities, A Handbook on Development, Properties and Use. Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University, Hamilton.