Understanding the Early Years (UEY) Cowichan is part of a national initiative that helps communities better understand the needs of young children and families so they can determine the best programs and services to meet those needs.

Information Sharing and Community Development

UEY Cowichan has been gathering information on local resources that support children and families and meeting with community partners to develop public awareness and community advocacy about the importance of the early years in children's development. UEY has worked with many generous community partners to develop the Cowichan Kids Web site which includes a database of community resources and knowledge shared by local experts through video and articles.

We have partnered with Success By 6; the Cowichan Intercultural Society; VIHA; the Cowichan Land Trust; Cowichan Family Life; School District 79; Hiiye'yu Lelum; CVRD; and others, to participate in projects that include young children and promote understanding about the early years. Our community art projects have included a "Great Places to be a Kid in the Cowichan Valley" map; a Community Blanket; and, a Tree of Life. We also produce videos for the Cowichan Kids Web site.

Community Mapping

UEY Cowichan will provide our community with quality information on the:

• local resources that support children and families (through our Web site database);
• school readiness of their children through the Early Development Instrument; and,
• family and community factors that influence children's development through the Parent Interview and Direct Assessment of Children's Survey.

Community Action

The information gathered from our community will be used by parents, service providers, early childhood educators and other interested members of the community to develop a Community Action Plan that will identify ways for us to work together to improve the lives of all our children and families.

Research shows that a child’s first six years set the foundation for his or her future success. The more we learn about how children develop, the better we can help them to be successful. Research also shows that it is not only families that influence a child’s development, but the neighbourhoods where children grow and learn have a direct impact on them. For this reason, it is important to learn as much as we can about the neighbourhoods and communities where our children live. One way to do this is by talking to parents, teachers and children about their experiences. To learn more about how our young children are doing, Understanding the Early Years Cowichan is working with early childhood development community partners to gather this important information.

The information is being gathered in a number of ways, including the Parent Interview and Direct Assessment of Children Survey (PIDACS); the Early Development Instrument (EDI); an inventory of community resources; and, through community focus groups and forums. Bringing our community together around this information will help us make decisions about how to provide the best environments and programs for our children. The information can also help us to answer questions such as: Are our children ready for school? What family and community factors are influencing our children’s development? Are our community programs and services supporting early childhood development and young children and families?

The EDI is an assessment done by kindergarten teachers with their students to learn about their general knowledge; physical well-being; emotional maturity; language and cognitive development; and social competence. The PIDACS is done by an assessor with children in school to learn about their receptive vocabulary, number knowledge and pre-literacy skills. A survey is also done with parents, by phone, online or in person, to learn about the home and community environments their children grew up in. Together, these two projects can provide us with a more in-depth understanding about the learning readiness and early childhood environments of children in the Cowichan Valley compared to B.C. and Canada.

If you have any questions about Understanding the Early Years Cowichan or the projects, please contact Cindy Carleton, Coordinator, at 748-2133 or 710-0615.
 

The Understanding the Early Years initiative is funded by Human Resources and Social Development Canada. To find out more , please visit their Web site.  Understanding the Early Years