What is the Early Development Instrument (EDI)?
The Early Development Instrument (EDI) tells us how prepared children are to start learning in school. It is a questionnaire completed by teachers for Senior Kindergarten children.
Developed by the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University, the EDI is used across Canada and internationally. It measures developmental expectations in the following five domains:
- Physical Health and Well-being – Children are healthy, independent, and rested each day.
- Social Competence – Children play and get along with others, share, and show self-confidence.
- Emotional Maturity – Children can concentrate on tasks, help others, show patience and are not often aggressive or angry.
- Language and Cognitive Development – Children are interested in reading and writing, can count, and recognize numbers and shapes.
- Communication Skills and General Knowledge – Children can tell a story and communicate with adults and other children.
▶️ Watch this 4-minute video to learn more about the EDI and Why It Matters.
How do we use the EDI?
Local service providers such as school boards, non-profits, and policymakers use this information to:
- Understand community needs and child development trends.
- Support planning for local services by highlighting areas of strength.
- Identify where additional support may be needed for children in our community.
For example:
- A school board may use EDI data to plan how to invest resources in schools
- A non-profit organization may use EDI data in strategic planning for their future direction
- A neighbourhood group may use EDI data in a grant application to fund a new community program
- Researchers and evaluators use EDI data over time to help understand the impacts of existing community programs in supporting healthy child development
- The Children and Youth Planning Table may use EDI data to set priorities and plan collective work to support healthy child development
Why are we sharing this information?
We share demographic indicators to help empower communities to create better early learning programs and supports for children and families.
- This data can help school boards, service planners, and community leaders understand where to focus more resources.
- All data is shared carefully and is intended for community planning and public benefit.
Sharing community data and demographic indicators supports equitable practices by increasing transparency and empowering the public with accessible information about our community. The ability to disaggregate data can transform understandings of social service needs.
Ethical Use Alert
Community data is meant to be empowering and accessible for the planning and improvement of services. Avoid using this data to make assumptions about individual children, schools or neighbourhoods as there are many factors that contribute to the EDI scores and community demographic information. This data is intended to be used ethically and respectfully to support positive community development.
If you would like help interpreting the results, please contact Children’s Services at chsadmin@regionofwaterloo.ca.
Overview of Cycle 6 (2023)
The following two reports were prepared by the Offord Centre for Waterloo Region in Cycle 6 (2023):
- EDI Summary Report: A snapshot of children’s developmental health for Senior Kindergarten Students in Waterloo Region and across Ontario for 2023.
- EDI Over Time Report: A look at six cycles of EDI results in Waterloo Region and across Ontario from 2004 to 2023.
How do we interpret the EDI results?
Children who score below the 10th percentile cut-off of the Ontario baseline population are considered vulnerable in that domain. Higher vulnerability indicates that a greater percentage of children are struggling in that domain and in need of more supports. EDI data helps provide a clearer picture of the strengths and needs in our community, in order to have a positive impact in areas such as policy, programming, and community planning. Trends over time also help to identify programs or services that may have made a positive difference for children.
Understanding the critical difference in EDI data
- Critical Difference: This method shows if score changes are significant over time.
- Meaningful Change: When a change is meaningful, it means the change is real, not due to errors in data collection.
What are the Limitations to Take Note of?
- Snapshot of Development:
- EDI data provides a valid and reliable snapshot of early childhood development but should be complemented with other quantitative and qualitative information.
- Causal Associations:
- EDI does not measure cause-and-effect relationships. For example, if the EDI results show that children in a certain area are struggling more with Emotional Maturity, we cannot conclude that this is because of limited access to early childhood programs. Similarly, if a neighbourhood has a high percentage of children vulnerable in Social Competence, we cannot say this was caused by the number of single-parent households, income levels, or any other factor. These patterns may appear together, but that does not mean one leads to the other.
- Individual-Level Use:
- It cannot be used at the individual level, such as a diagnostic tool for assessing individual children.
- Capturing Abilities of Children:
- EDI may not fully capture children’s abilities as it relies on self-report data from teachers and there could be minor variations.
- The Offord Centre provides a detailed guide and training on the delivery of the questionnaire to help reduce subjective bias.
Using EDI data alongside other sources ensures a more comprehensive understanding of early childhood development trends.
More information on the various features of the EDI map and dashboard are included on the “Introduction” tab of the dashboard.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What does “vulnerable” mean?
“Vulnerable” means children scored below a certain threshold in one or more areas. It helps to identify where extra supports may be needed.
Why are you showing some neighbourhoods as more vulnerable?
Neighbourhoods with greater vulnerabilities are identified to guide planning and ensure resources reach children and families who need them most.
Why do you overlay additional information on the EDI map?
Overlaying demographic information helps us better understand the context in which children are growing and developing. The EDI shows how children are doing developmentally, and the additional layers help us to see what conditions or characteristics exist in each neighbourhood. This allows partners and communities to plan supports more effectively.
How were the different layers selected?
The different layers were selected based on commonly used demographic indicators that can support meaningful conversations about community needs and strengths. The layers are drawn from Statistics Canada census data and include lone-parent families, recent immigrants, visible minorities, and the low-income measure (LIM-AT).
Can I use this data to evaluate the effectiveness of schools?
There are many factors that can impact the overall scores or results of the data. The data is meant for community planning and should not be used to compare schools or make conclusions about families or children. The data is not a reflection of the teachers or administrators at each school.
Who has access to individual EDI results?
- The Offord Centre can see individual children’s results for research purposes.
- Region of Waterloo Children’s Services receives de-identified results.
How is subjective bias in EDI Data minimized?
The Offord Centre provides a detailed guide and training on the delivery of the questionnaire to help reduce subjective bias. To learn more visit this Offord Centre resource.
How can I request a presentation for my organization to learn more about the EDI data and mapping tool?
Please contact Children’s Services at chsadmin@regionofwaterloo.ca.
More information on the various features of the EDI map and dashboard is included on the “Introduction” tab of the dashboard linked below.