Four years later, the hurdles for children are greater

People need to keep in mind that in the last seven years, B. C. has gone from being the province with the fewest children living below the poverty line to the province with the most children living below the poverty line.-- A key fact from the details of a vulnerability study of BC Schoolchildren

That line in a Daily News story alone, should be sending alarm bells off in Victoria that there is much work yet to be done in this province, especially when it comes to those at the most risk in our society. Having a province such as this, with all its resource wealth and layers of bureaucracy, shouldn't be in the position of having it's children in such a troubled state as a recent report suggests.

A study of North Coast school children has shown that the risk of vulnerability for them has grown over the last four years. The Early Development Instrument, highlights the need for a more proactive approach from the province when it comes to those at risk.

The results of the most recent study make Prince Rupert the third most vulnerable community in the province, with only Haida Gwai and Gold Trail finding that their children are in a more precarious state as they begin their journey through education.

It makes for a situation that kind of tarnishes that "Best place on earth" marketing slogan a bit. Leaning it more towards rhetoric than actual fact, at least when it comes to those on the margins of society.

The details of the report and the measures that have been put in place to try and alleviate the problem were examined in Monday's Daily News, in a front page story.

CHILDREN ARE STARTING SCHOOL FACING HUGE HURDLES: STUDY

Analysis of local students shows they are more vulnerable than they were in '03
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Monday, April 14, 2008

Pages one and three

A study of young children on the North Coast shows that more of them entered kindergarten in 2007 with some form of vulnerability to their future social development, compared to 2003 results.

Joanne Schroeder, from the Human Early Learning Partnership, presented the results of the 2007 EDI (Early Development Instrument) on Thursday.

"The EDI measures how many children are vulnerable, how many are behind in one of aspect of development when they enter kindergarten," she said.

"Vulnerability is increasing in B.C. at the neighborhood and school district level."

In Prince Rupert, 40.2 per cent - or four out of 10 children entering kindergarten - showed vulnerability in one or more of five categories in 2003. That number increased to 48.7 per cent - almost one in two - in 2007.

These results follow the provincial trend of an increasing level of vulnerability, she said.

Prince Rupert had the third-highest level of vulnerability in the province in the 2007 study, with Haida Gwaii ranking second highest at 51.9 per cent and Gold Trail the highest at 54.1 per cent.

However, the news is not all gloom, said Schroeder. Without the work that is underway to improve early childhood education in Prince Rupert including programs such as StrongStart and the Roosevelt PACES hub, the results would have been worse.

"There are some good-news stories, some places where children's development is better than would be predicted by the socio-economics," she said.

People need to keep in mind that in the last seven years, B. C. has gone from being the province with the fewest children living below the poverty line to the province with the most children living below the poverty line. And in Canada, the expenditures on early childhood education compared to similar countries is very low.

"Early Childhood Development programs we believe are having a strong impact," Schroeder said. "Our belief is these results would be declining even more without these programs."

The EDI measures results for children in five specific areas.

When it came to physical health and well-being, 20.8 per cent of children measured had some form of vulnerability, down from 26.8 per cent in 2003. In social competence, 25.9 showed some vulnerability in 2007, up from 15.7 in 2003. In the area of emotional maturity, 19.8 per cent showed some form of vulnerability compared to 14.3 per cent in 2003. In the area of language and cognitive development, 31 per cent showed vulnerability, up significantly from 16.5 per cent in 2003. And in the area of communication skills and general knowledge, 15.2 showed vulnerability compared to 18 per cent in 2003.

Schroeder encouraged educators to continue to work together to improve early childhood education, including through partnerships with the school district to ensure all children get a good start in life.

"You really need to be all things to all people, You need universal access to child care supports and holistic access for children," she said. "We need to make it a normal part of the world for parents and children to participate in early childhood education."