Welcome to Success By 6

MAY 7-13 is MENTAL HEALTH WEEK. Check out our latest blog on Children's Mental Health.

Interview with Success By 6 Council of Partners member Susan Lynch about the ECMap project.

Tell me a little bit about the ECMap project. 

The mapping project began in July of 2009 when a contract was signed between the Government of Alberta and the University of Alberta to study the developmental outcomes of preschool children in Alberta and to look at the factors that might be affecting those outcomes.  The project also has a significant community development component. Communities throughout Alberta have been invited to participate in interpreting the early child development outcomes for their own area and to look at how they might increase the quality of the environments and supports for young children in their communities. 

Why is this project important?

Healthy development in the early years is critical to individual well-being in later life and to the overall health of communities and our society. Without information on how well young children are doing, planning for improvements is not well enough grounded to know how effective the improvements are.  This project will provide baseline data for planning, creating the beginning for effective improvements.

Where is the project at right now?

For the first time data on the province's 5 year olds is available for the whole of the province.  Analysis is underway to examine the indicators of developmental progress of these children.  We are looking at the data in 5 areas of development - physical health and well being; social competence; emotional maturity; language and thinking skills; and communication skills and general knowledge.  When we look at the province as a whole and compare the outcomes with those of children elsewhere in Canada, Alberta children are not doing as well.  We are currently analyzing the data on a community by community basis and are looking at what community factors may be accounting for the particular patterns we are seeing in Alberta.  These are early days in the analysis so watch the project website for emerging information as the analysis progresses (www.ecmap.ca).

Let's Talk about the Early Years

During the first few years of life a child's brain will develop at an incredible rate.  This means that a child's potential to learn and grow is at its peak when they are very young.  As a community we all have a role to play to help children reach their full potential.

How is Success By 6 making a difference?

Success By 6...

Supports the community by engaging and educating people about the importance of the early years in a child's life.

Advocates for for affordable, high-quality learning, development and care opportunities.

Builds strong early childhood services that are coordinated and sustainable.

Strenghthens services for young children and families in areas such as healthy growth and development, literacy, parenting and nutrition.

Encourages the professionalization of early learning and care staff.

Envisions a community where all children feel valued, respected, nurtured and loved.

Edmonton has some amazing resources to help build early literacy skills. Click here to read our latest Blog on the importance of reading with young children and some the resources available for families.