Strategic Overview of the early childhood development/learning landscape in Alberta and Edmonton, prepared for the Head Start Action Learning Project (Edmonton) Pre-Retreat, May 24 2011, Edmonton.

1. Exploring the landscape Early childhood Research, opinion, evaluations, trends MAY 2011 Prepared for the Head Start Action Learning Project Facilitators: Mark Holmgren & Mark Cabaj 1

3. Alberta the youngest province. One in five Albertans are under 15. (745,000)

4. 280,000 + kids, five and under: 7.5% of the population.

5. 1 in 7 children lives in a lone-parent family. Muttart Foundation, November 2010, In the Best Interest of Children and Families: A discussion of Early Childhood Education and Care. 2

7. A newcomer to Canada

8. Disabled

9. A Single Parent family

10. Single

11. YoungVarious sources. Faid, P. 2009, Poverty Reduction Policies and Programs, Extending the Alberta Advantage, Canadian Council on Social Development. 3

13. Child poverty rate: Metro 12.5% / Edmonton 16.5%

14. 40% of kids in lone parent families

15. 40% of Aboriginal families

16. 40% of Newcomers

17. The median income of Aboriginal citizens is approximately 30% less than Non Aboriginal citizens.Edmonton Social Planning Council reporting on 2006 Stats Canada Census data; retrieved February 4, 2011 from http://www.edmontonsocialplanning.ca/content/view/431/255/ The Income Gap Between Aboriginal Peoples and the Rest of Canada, Daniel Wilson and David Macdonald. April 2010.Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. 4

18. Percentage visible minorities for Canada, provinces and territories, 1996, 2001 and 2006 censuses INCREASING DIVERSITY http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/92-596/P2-2.cfm?Lang=eng&T=CMA&S=0&O=A&LINE_ID=901&TOPIC_ID=100&start=1&end=144&disp=144 6% of Albertans are Aboriginal. 33% of the Aboriginal population is under 15. ABORIGINAL PEOPLE 5

20. More kids with disabilities or delays in the system.

21. Attention to ECD seen as an economic driver.

22. Families that don’t fit LICO criteria but are still poor and disadvantaged are not getting help.

23. Non-English speaking children from various cultures.

24. Economy increasingly dependent on immigration.6

25. Funding & delivery schematic Muttart Foundation, November 2010, In the Best Interest of Children and Families: A discussion of Early Childhood Education and Care 7

26. WHAT’S GOING ON? HIGHLIGHTS Increased interest, understanding of public and policy makers. More money but infrastructure dollars hard to come by. Complex system with many players and ample administration. Disconnected mandates and services and inequitable access to services/supports No single Ministry is responsible, but three are starting to work together. 8

28. Both school boards have opened sites for 4 year olds with language needs.

29. Health looking into 0-3 universal screening.

30. EC Mapping – putting information in the hands of communities.

31. Aligning the Early Years & Early Years Continuum Project

32. Success By 6 – education and advocacyWhat’s going on around us 9

33. From Premier’s Council for Economic Strategy, Shaping Alberta’s Future. “To secure our future prosperity, we must: Intensify efforts to make the early childhood development support system in Alberta more cohesive and coordinated – reducing overlaps and filling gaps – with a special focus on children who are most at risk” (page 58). Report calls for “accelerat[ing] action on ensuring [Aboriginal] young people achieve parity of educational outcomes with non-Aboriginals” (page 58). 10

34. From Premier’s Council for Economic Strategy, Shaping Alberta’s Future. Establish an interdisciplinary social policy with maternal health/early childhood development as its starting point. Increase and diversify training for health practitioners, social services staff, etc. Expand public education on the importance of the first six years to a child’s future. Work with community to determine how to make the most effective use of resources to deliver priority outcomes Page 60 11

35. FROM INSPIRING ACTION ON EDUCATION (ALBERTA GOV’T) “A Coordinated Approach to Early Learning Early childhood experiences impact future learning, health, and well being. A coordinated approach to early learning is a provincial approach where communities work together to support children and families through access to high quality and inclusive learning across a range of early childhood settings.“ 12

37. quality early learning educational opportunities …are incorporated into academic programs at the elementary level.

38. families will have knowledge and resources along a continuum of supports and services to help children achieve their potential.

39. communities have the capacity and resources to effectively support early childhood development and there is support for the transition from home to school.13

41. social-emotional development,

42. health status and services, and

43. parenting practices. These impacts are quantified by examining the difference in outcomes between children assigned to the Head Start group and those assigned to the control group. 14

44. KEY FINDINGSSource: National Head Start Association (US) The key finding of the Head Start Impact Study shows that Head Start works. The study authors state, “Providing access to Head Start has a positive impact on children’s preschool experiences. There are statistically significant differences between the Head Start group and the control group on every measure of children’s preschool experiences measured in this study.” The Head Start children outperformed the control group in every domain that the study measured, including positive cognitive, social-emotional, health and parenting impacts. The Head Start children left Head Start more ready for school than their peers in the control group. 15

45. KEY FINDINGSSource: National Head Start Association (US) However, the study goes on to show that, by the end of first grade, the Head Start children lost many of the advantages they had when they began kindergarten. 16

46. Local evaluation the Edmonton head start project This study/evaluation’s conclusions about impact on families according to families: • Teaches me how to help my child develop and learn. • Enables my child to be ready for kindergarten. • Helps to connect my child with professional services (e.g. health team, speech & language) to strengthen his or her development. • Helps me with my parenting. • Helps me to solve problems and plan for the future. • Helps me to make new friends and connections in the community. • Help me to connect with other community services (e.g., food bank) and health care (doctors, health clinics). 17

47. Major sources Muttart Foundation, November 2010, In the Best Interest of Children and Families: A discussion of Early Childhood Education and Care. Faid, P. 2009, Poverty Reduction Policies and Programs, Extending the Alberta Advantage, Canadian Council on Social Development. Alberta Government, 2011, Report of the Premier’s Council for Economic Strategy, Shaping Alberta’s Future. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, 2010, Head Start Impact Study Final Report, Executive Summary. National Head Start Association (US), 2010, Head Start Impact Study – What Does It Say, What Does It Mean? Government of Alberta, 2010, Inspiring Action on Education. Edmonton Social Planning Council reporting on 2006 Stats Canada Census data; retrieved February 4, 2011 from http://www.edmontonsocialplanning.ca/content/view/431/255/ The Income Gap Between Aboriginal Peoples and the Rest of Canada, Daniel Wilson and David Macdonald. April 2010.Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Interviews with Gail Campbell, Sue Lynch, Gloria Chalmers. 18