Early Years and Children
According to the World Health Organization and Health Canada, early childhood development makes a lasting impact on health in adult life. Unlike any other time in a child's life, the early years are an especially important stage to build healthy brains. Healthy development during this time sets the stage for people to lead flourishing lives – socially, emotionally, cognitively and physically.
To help every child develop to the best of his/her ability, we need to support and encourage all families in Niagara to think about the changes parenthood will bring. This starts with having a healthy pregnancy and thinking about our role as parents before children even arrive in our lives. We need to protect, promote, and support:
- Breastfeeding as the cultural norm
- Positive, balanced parenting and remove the embarrassment linked to seeking information or help on parenting
- Reading and writing skills right from the start by encouraging parents to read to their young children and by securing high quality early childhood education for all children
As a society, we need to strive to provide the experiences necessary for all children to have the 40 developmental assets (e.g. family support, self-esteem, sense of purpose). Many of these factors are influenced by differences in family income, education, or employment. Targeted services to more disadvantaged families are only one way to try and reduce the effect of these differences.
There is room for improvement in Niagara. In 2008, 26.8% of 5 years old were not developmentally ready for school on one domain of the Early Development Instrument (EDI).
The following tables present data on different issues related to early childhood development in Niagara. However, we need more Niagara-specific information about issues such as readiness to parent, parenting styles, breastfeeding practices after bringing baby home and more.
We need to work together to create an integrated policy framework where early years information is shared between us as community partners and stakeholders and where we work together to create early years programming that takes into account the whole child.
The Niagara region is one of the first regions in Canada to institute a Charter of Rights for children and teens. The Niagara Children's Charter Enacted report was written within the context of the 10 principles of Niagara Children's Charter, using key indicators to determine how well Niagara is supporting children and their families.
Niagara Region Public Health has several programs on the go to support children reaching their full potential:
- Niagara Baby-Friendly™ Initiative
- Don't Play "Wait and See" With Your Child's Development Campaign
- Enhanced 18 Month Strategy
- beagreatparent.ca website
- Pregnancy Rates
- Low Birth Weight Rates
- Parkyn Summary
- Prenatal Class Summary
- Dental Summary
- Developmentally Ready for School Summary
- Other Links/Resources
Pregnancy Rates per 1000 females 15-49, Niagara Region vs. Ontario
| Year | ||||||||
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara rate per 1000 females 15-49 | 49.6 | 51.6 | 51.0 | 49.7 | 51.5 | 50.3 | 50.4 | 51.9 |
| Ontario rate per 1000 females 15-49 | 56.7 | 57.6 | 57.2 | 57.2 | 57.9 | 58.4 | 58.3 | 56.0 |
Source: Pregnancy rate 2002-2008, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, IntelliHEALTH ONTARIO, Data extracted June 2010.
Between 2002 and 2009, the Pregnancy rate in Niagara remained relatively stable from 49.6 in 2002 to 51.9 in 2009. The same was for Ontario, 56.7 in 2002 to 56.0 in 2009.
Across Ontario, Pregnancy rates decreased from 53.4 in 2002 to 52.6 births per 1000 females in 2008.
Low Birth Weight Rates
| Year | |||||||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara rate per 100 live births | 5.8 | 5.6 | 6.2 | 6.3 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 5.7 |
| Ontario rate per 100 live births | 6.7 | 6.4 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.7 |
Source: Low birth weight rate 2002-2009, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, IntelliHEALTH ONTARIO, Data extracted November 2011.
Between 2003 and 2009, the Low birth weight rate in Niagara stayed relatively stable at approximately 6 Low birth weight babies out of every 100 live births in that given year. In 2007, this rate increased slightly (6.6) before returning to 5.7 in 2009.
Ontario, also remained stable in Low birth weight babies from 2003 to 2009.
Parkyn Summary
The Parkyn Postpartum Screening Tool is completed by a public health nurse shortly after a mother gives birth. It is meant to assess families with a new baby that may be at risk for developmental challenges for a range of reasons (e.g. smoking during pregnancy, low birth weight, no Prenatal class attendance and many other reasons) and may indicate a need for further assessment. A high Parkyn Score identifies families with a new baby that may be at risk for future health concerns.
Feeding method |
||||||||
Municipality |
Total Parkyn |
Mother under 20 years |
Smoking during pregnancy |
Low birth weight |
High risk Parkyn score |
Breast milk only |
Both breast milk and formula |
|
| Count | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fort Erie |
250 |
8.8% |
19.2% |
7.0% |
4.8% |
20.4% |
75.3% |
5.9% |
Grimsby |
237 |
3.0% |
5.9% |
9.2% |
6.4% |
10.6% |
67.2% |
24.3% |
Lincoln |
164 |
3.7% |
7.9% |
5.5% |
3.7% |
12.5% |
69.2% |
17.0% |
Niagara Falls |
720 |
6.4% |
16.9% |
8.4% |
6.2% |
19.1% |
75.8% |
5.9% |
Niagara-on-the-lake |
114 |
* |
* |
6.2% |
7.0% |
8.8% |
91.2% |
4.4% |
Pelham |
93 |
* |
* |
9.9% |
6.6% |
12.9% |
75.8% |
15.4% |
Port Colborne |
157 |
8.3% |
21.0% |
5.9% |
7.0% |
22.4% |
66.5% |
9.0% |
St. Catharines |
1,217 |
6.1% |
12.5% |
6.5% |
4.4% |
20.1% |
74.9% |
7.8% |
Thorold |
163 |
6.1% |
11.7% |
7.6% |
6.7% |
19.0% |
73.2% |
4.5% |
Wainfleet |
23 |
* |
* |
* |
* |
21.7% |
72.7% |
* |
Welland |
515 |
4.3% |
19.4% |
6.1% |
4.9% |
22.3% |
68.5% |
12.9% |
West Lincoln |
170 |
* |
6.5% |
7.2% |
5.3% |
9.5% |
66.9% |
21.7% |
Niagara Region |
3,823 |
5.4% |
13.6% |
7.1% |
5.3% |
18.4% |
73.2% |
10.0% |
* Data are limited and cannot be reported.
Source: ISCIS Jan-Dec, 2009, Extracted: May 2010
Overall in Niagara, 18.4% of families with a baby were identified to be at high risk for developmental issues and required further assessment. Port Colborne followed closely by Welland had the highest percentage of families at high-risk (22.4% and 22.3% respectively), while, Niagara-on-the-Lake had the lowest percentage of families at high-risk (8.8%).
According to the Parkyn summary for 2007/2008, 13.6% of mothers in Niagara smoked cigarettes during their pregnancy. Some municipalities have a higher percentage of smoking during pregnancy, including: Port Colborne (21.0%), Welland (19.4%), Fort Erie (19.2%), and Niagara Falls (16.9%).
In Niagara, 7.1% of babies were born preterm and 5.3% were born weighing less than 2,500 grams (which indicates a Low birth weight). Pelham and Grimsby had the highest percentage of mothers delivering babies preterm; 9.9% and 9.2% respectively. Due to limitations in small sample size, data are limited for Low birth weight and thus not all municipalities have data to report. Despite this, Niagara-on-the-lake and Port Colborne both had the highest percentage of Low birth weight babies born (7.0%) during 2009.
In Niagara, the 73.2% of mothers breastfed while in the hospital; a further 10.0% both breastfed and used a bottle. Among the municipalities, Niagara-on the-Lake and Grimsby had the highest overall breastfeeding percentage when considering both the exclusively breastfed and breastfed along with a bottle categories.
Prenatal Class Summary
| % | |
|---|---|
| Fort Erie | 6.0 |
| Grimsby | 5.5 |
| Lincoln | 4.6 |
| Niagara Falls | 17.7 |
| Niagara-on-the-Lake | 3.3 |
| Pelham | 1.3 |
| Port Colborne | 3.8 |
| St. Catharines | 30.0 |
| Thorold | 5.7 |
| Wainfleet | 0.7 |
| Welland | 15.9 |
| West Lincoln | 2.9 |
| Out of region | 2.6 |
| Niagara region | 12.0% |
Source: Prenatal class Data, Niagara Region, 2009.
Overall, 12.0% of pregnant women in Niagara region attended Prenatal classes offered by Niagara Region Public Health in 2008. Among all Prenatal class attendees, residents from St. Catharines and Niagara Falls had the highest attendance percentage at 30.0% and 17.7%.
| Niagara region | ||
|---|---|---|
| Took Folic acid supplementation prior to pregnancy | Yes | 61.0% |
| No | 39.0% | |
| Smoked cigarettes during pregnancy | Yes | 9.4% |
| No | 90.6% | |
| Feeding method of choice | Breastfeed only | 84.8% |
| Bottle feed only | 5.1% | |
| Breast and bottle feed | 3.2% | |
| Undecided | 6.9% | |
| Feel prepared to parent | Yes | 40.6% |
| Somewhat | 56.2% | |
| No | 3.2% | |
Source: Prenatal class Data, Niagara Region, 2009.
61.0% of mothers who attended prenatal class at Public Health in 2008, reported that they took folic acid supplementation before becoming pregnant.
9.4% of expecting mothers reported smoking during their pregnancy, which is lower than previous data based on the Parkyn screening tool. Mothers who attend Prenatal classes tend to be healthier.
Almost all of the expecting mothers who attended Prenatal classes indicated that they intend to solely breastfeed their baby (84.8%); 5.1% intended to bottle feed, 3.2% intended to breast and bottle and 6.9% were undecided. Again, this is slightly higher than the data reported from the Parkyn screening tool.
Almost half of parents (40.6%) who attended Prenatal classes reported that they are prepared to parent. The remaining 56.2% are somewhat prepared to parent, and 3.2% reported that they were not prepared at all.
Dental Summary
| Age | Count | Mean deft | Caries free | % CINOT eligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 12 | 0.8 | 75.0% | 0.0% |
| 4 | 465 | 0.9 | 76.6% | 0.7% |
| 5 | 514 | 1.3 | 68.1% | 4.1% |
| 6 | * | * | * | * |
| 7 | 526 | 1.8 | 51.1% | 3.8% |
| 8 | * | * | * | * |
| 9 | 593 | 1.5 | 44.0% | 3.0% |
| 11 | 632 | 0.6 | 59.3% | 1.9% |
| 13 | 641 | 0.1 | 65.8% | 1.0% |
| 14 | * | * | * | * |
* Data are limited and cannot be reported.
Source: Dental Indices Survey, 2007/2008.
In Niagara 1 in 7 children are screened using the Dental Indices Survey. The above table shows that approximately 3400 students were entered into the database, broken down by age.
The deft index (d-decayed, e-extracted due to cavities, f-filled and t-teeth) is used to assess oral health status of young children. By determining the dental caries status of primary (i.e. baby) teeth. The lower the deft score, the better the oral health status. For older children with permanent teeth, the DMFT index (D-Decayed, M-Missing, F-Filled and T-Teeth) is used assess dental health. A deft/DMFT score of 0 means that there are no cavities in the child's mouth. In the Niagara region, 60% of the students screened are considered to have no cavities (caries free)
Children in Need of Treatment is a program offered by Public Health for elementary school children who need urgent care and have no access to dental insurance. 2.8% of the students seen were eligible.
Developmentally Ready for School Summary
In the second-half of senior kindergarten, teachers complete a questionnaire called the Early Development Instrument (EDI) for each of their senior kindergarten students.
This questionnaire measures how developmentally ready the students are for school in five key domains of child development:
- Physical health and wellbeing
- Social knowledge and competencies
- Emotional health and maturity
- Language and cognitive development
- General knowledge and communication skills
The Early Development Instrument (EDI) results reflect children's experiences prior to entering school and helps determine the supports needed from a community.
According to the results for the Early Development Instrument (EDI) in Niagara in 2005 and 2008, just over one-quarter (26.0% and 26.8% respectively) of senior kindergarten children were not ready for school on one Early Development Instrument (EDI) domain. These Early Development Instrument (EDI) results are below the established provincial standard for both 2005 and 2008, as shown in the graph.
Early Development Instrument (EDI)- Neighbourhood Data
Source: Early Development Instrument, 2005 and 2008.