Early Child Development Mapping Initiative introduced

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Two representatives of the Early Child Development Mapping Project Alberta made a presentation to the Municipal District of Pincher Creek No. 9 Council on the afternoon of January 10.

La Vonne Rideout outlined the parameters of the project, and introduced Colette Sinnott to the Council. Sinnott is responsible for implementing the project here in Pincher Creek, a newly assumed position for her.

The project is being implemented under the Alberta Ministry of Education umbrella through the University of Alberta.


The guiding principle of the project is to understand and assist the critical first three years of human development, which in practical application has been expanded to include children up to 7 years of age.

Rideout said research had shown that the average preschool child spends 10 to 12 hours "screen time" a day, plunked in front of television sets or gaming devices, with the screen acting as babysitter and influencing early brain development and attitudes.  "The dynamic is really changing for families," she said.  "Parents are pressed for resources, time, and support."  Rideout emphasized that children were highly vulnerable in the first three years.  "One in four children are hitting school age without the necessary skills, not including those with disabilities," she explained.  "Age zero to three is when the brain does the most developing.  We have to get it right in the first place."

The Early Child Development (ECD) Mapping Initiative is a province-wide, five-year research project activity looking at the factors that may influence healthy child development. The Initiative will use the results to support communities and families in ensuring that all children have the best possible start in life.
- From ECD literature

Rideout explained that Red Deer was used for an ECD pilot project, where researchers were able to correlate the availability of cultural, informational, and recreational facilities with early development.

Councillor Bjorn Berg asked if there had been any research done in rural areas like the MD of Pincher Creek.  Rideout explained that they were doing that now.
Berg asked if research had been done on reserves yet.  Rideout said there were privacy issues that made that difficult, but First Nations students who attended public schools were part of the mapping project, which maps the data to the area where the students live.  She also emphasized that students were not being tracked as individuals, but as data.

At this point Rideout surrendered the floor to Colette Sinnott.  Parent Link in Pincher Creek
 applied for the seed grant and hired Sinnott and Sandy Dixon to implement the program.   "I've spent the last two months talking to people in the community," Sinnott said. "We have started our local coalition, and are now working on strategies and plans."

A fairly lengthy discussion followed the formal presentation.

Reeve Rod Zielinski said "Education has dropped the ball, not only with early development but also with school age children."  He asked if "In our community will there be enough data on the First Nations?"  Rideout said the First Nations communities needed support but were often unwilling to show they needed that support statistically.

Rideout showed some of the data that had been gathered in the Edmonton mapping project, which showed, surprisingly, that a wealthy community in that city with no real community meeting places performed poorly when compared to a lower income community with more community services, facilities, gathering places, and support.
"All the money in the world does not necessarily mean our children are not at risk," she said, explaining that in the wealthier community people did not know their neighbours, did not interact with each other, and did not have the kinds of facilities that bring people together and provide social and recreation opportunities.

Councillor Bjorn Berg commented on the economics and isolation inherent in rural communities.

The ECD project is expected to have preliminary data for the Pincher Creek area in March and April of this year.  In all, this specific initiative will be including data from Brocket, Pincher Creek, Cowley, Twin Butte, and Beaver Mines.   The Pincher Creek Colony is the first group of Hutterites in the province to be involved, with four ladies from the colony represented at the coalition table. Lundbreck is being mapped with the Crowsnest Pass by others involved in the project.


For more information about the ECD project visit education.alberta.ca/admin/ecs/ecd.aspx