Determinants of Early Childhood Development : From Problem to Policy and Action Results of Research in Jamaica

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Determinants of Early Childhood Development
From Problem to Policy and Action Results
of Research in Jamaica

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Identification of a problem in Jamaica

• Problem Children starting primary school
  were not performing well
• Solution Identify the problem and fix it

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What was the cause of the problem???

• Information available on physical health (e.g.
  immunisation, mortality rates) and on school
  attendance
• No comprehensive information available that could
  explain what was happening
• how children really lived, their parents and
  their homes, their teachers and schools etc. and
  how these affected their development

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The path to the solution

• Comprehensive information on pre-school children
  (profile) necessary for planning to improve
  childrens development
• The Profiles Project
• Local and international literature review
• Review of local procedures and tests
• Workshops involving stakeholders PIOJ,
  Education, Health, Social Services,
• Parenting organisations

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Methodology

• Nationally representative sample of children in
  their last term of pre-school (age 5-6 yrs)
• Approximately 250 5-6 yr. Olds (0.5 sample)
• Home and school environments evaluated SES
  Social environment Parenting Physical health
• Learning environment
• Childrens learning and behaviour evaluated to
  determine the effects of the environment

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Profile of Jamaican Pre-schoolers

• Description of status of children using headings
  of the environments that were studied
• Describe how these different environments affect
  childrens development (learning and behaviour)
• Policy implications
• Action agenda

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Socio-Economic Status
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Socio-Economic Status A description

• Majority of pre-school children lived in low
  socio-economic situations
• 40 of chief earners had unskilled jobs
  10 of chief earners were not working

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Socio-Economic Status Effects

• Children in low socio-economic situations
• Performed poorly at school
• Had more behaviour problems, particularly
  aggression and delinquency

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Socio-Economic Status Policy Implications

• Poverty impacts directly on childrens
  development and behaviour
• Poverty impacts indirectly through parenting, the
  learning environment, social exposure etc.
• Interventions must occur early

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Socio-Economic Status Action Agenda

• Government Improved economic
  status Adequate financial allocation for
  programmes for most vulnerable
• Community Identify children at greatest
  need for limited resources
• Parents Responsible parenting

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Parenting - Family Structure
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Parenting I Family Structure A description

• Typical two parent family not majority (40)
• 50 of fathers and 20 of mothers did not live
  with their children
• Extended family readily adopts parenting role and
  provides stability
• Average age for parents was in late 30s
• Most parenting figures had only primary education
• Parenting experiences were social class dependent

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Parenting I Family Structure Effects

• Different aspects of parenting affected different
  child outcomes
• Good parental education led to children
  performing better at school
• Poor emotional stability in the home led to more
  behaviour problems.
• - parenting figures - their relationship
• - presence in the home - child shifting

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Parenting I - Family Structure Policy
Implications

• Parents need to get the message of how parenting
  impacts on children
• Parenting messages need to address appropriate
  ways to parent from a distance
• Parenting messages must be aimed at entire
  communities, not just the child bearing age
• Parenting messages must be delivered at a primary
  education level

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Parenting I Family Structure Action Agenda

• Government Parenting education a national
  priority Produce appropriate parenting material
• Community Facilitate parenting classes
  (schools/churches) Family counselling available
• Parents Take advantage of parent education
  opportunities Identify relationship
  difficulties Seek amicable solutions
• Continue parenting despite relationship failure

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Parenting - Family Functioning
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Parenting II - Family Functioning A description

• Most Jamaican families had good family
  relationships (good family functioning)
• Parental stress levels are extremely high in
  Jamaica - Acceptability of Child
  - Child being demanding -
  Attachment to Child -
  Parental Competence

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Parenting II Family Functioning Effects

• Poor family functioning was associated with
  behaviour problems in children
• High parental stress affected all outcomes
  children did poorly at school and had more
  behaviour problems
• Other life stressors for parents (e.g. changing
  jobs) did not affect children as much as
  parenting stress.

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Parenting II Family Functioning Policy
Implications

• Parental stress needs to be widely recognised and
  acknowledged
• Efforts to reduce parental stress, such as parent
  education classes, need to be made a national
  priority

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Parenting II Family Function Action Agenda

• Government Recognition of parenting stress
  as part of national parent education programmes
• Tax incentives for supporting businesses
• Community
• Community resources available for parents
  sports, wellness clinics Community doctors
  identify parental stress
• Parents Utilise resources to reduce
  parenting stress Learn to recognise stress and
  seek help

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Social Environment
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Social Environment A description

• Most Jamaican children watched television (80)
• Most attended church regularly (75)
• Many (50) attended supervised leisure activities
• Few read books consistently (50 1-2 books/mth)
  those of higher SES
• Parents spent little time in activities with
  their children
• Harsh discipline was common

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Social Environment Effects

• Reading books and attending supervised
  activities, including church, led to improved
  school performance and behaviour
  
• Excessive TV viewing led to behaviour problems
• Parental participation in activities improved
  childrens behaviour

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Social Environment Policy Implications

• Children should be encouraged to watch less
  television and participate in more supervised
  leisure activities
• Parental participation in home based activities
  and alternatives to harsh disciplinary measures
  should be encouraged through parenting education
• Parental stress initiatives should include
  alternative methods of discipline

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Social environment Action Agenda

• Government Support for the development of
  activities in communities
• Provision of libraries in communities / ROR
• Community Churches, schools and business
  sector to support alternative activities for
  children
• Parents
• Take children to activities provided
  Participate in activities with children in and
  out of home
• Learn alternative disciplinary measures

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Health and Nutrition
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Health and Nutrition A description

• Serious illness or hospital admission was common
  (25)
• Asthma was the single commonest reported health
  problem (12)
• Burns and scalds were the commonest reported
  injury (10)
• Dental health care was rare
• Hearing and vision impairment were common (35,
  10) and were unidentified
• Parents did not seek behavioural services when
  they identified behaviour problems.

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Health and Nutrition Effects

• Stunting (poor growth) was associated with poor
  school performance and behaviour problems
• Children with chronic health problems had more
  behaviour problems

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Health and Nutrition Policy Implications

• Screening for nutritional problems must continue
  though these are relatively rare.
• Asthma morbidity and burn injury can be prevented
  through parental education campaigns
• Effective and comprehensive screening programmes
  at clinics and schools can identify and reduce
  dental, visual, hearing and behaviour problems

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Health and Nutrition Action Agenda

• Government Provision of school and
  community based screening programmes
• Community Support community based
  programmes
• Parents Take children for regular checks

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The Learning Environment
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The Learning Environment A description

• Homes of poorer children had little material to
  stimulate mental development and lacked
  the appropriate parent-child interaction to
  promote emotional development
• Most Jamaican children attend pre-school at an
  early age (90)
• Public and private pre-schools lacked material,
  space, furniture and programme structure

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The Learning Environment Effects

• A poor home learning environment was associated
  with poor school performance and behaviour
  problems
• Attendance at private pre-schools led to improved
  school performance and behaviour
• Adequate space and furnishings were particularly
  important for learning

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The Learning Environment Policy
Implications

• Parenting education measures must include cost
  effective methods to provide mental and emotional
  stimulation in the home
• Pre-schools must have adequate space and
  materials for children

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The Learning Environment Action Agenda

• Government Standards for pre-schools set
  and monitored
• Community
• Parenting classes should emphasise mental
  and emotional stimulation
• Home visiting programmes for out-of-school
• Parents Attend parent education classes
  to educate themselves about child development
  

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Overview of factors affecting child
development

• Socio-economic status
• Parental education
• Parental stress
• Reading books
• School and home learning environment
• Nutritional status
• Supervised leisure activities

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An Overview III

• Efforts to improve child outcomes must be
  comprehensive All experiences affect outcome in
  some way.
• These efforts must begin early as time worsens
  effects

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What has happened since?

• Government Parenting indicators included in
  national monitoring systems
• Information being used to develop
  national
  screening programme with support from
  NGOs
• Support for distribution of information to
  parents, communities and civic society
• Community National parenting group
  including parenting stress management in
  models
• Parents

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Quotation

• It will take the political will of
  governments the cohesion of communities the
  passion of early childhood specialists
• the skill of teachers and
• the love of parents
• to improve the status of children and the
  well-being of humanity

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Guiding principles

• Health is not the absence of disease but
  describes an optimum state of physical,
  emotional, intellectual and spiritual development
  .
• Recent research has shown that adult well-being
  in all spheres mentioned above is dependent on
  their early childhood experience and development.

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Healthy kids make healthy adults who make
healthy communities and a healthier world. All
countries need to determine the status of their
children in order to improve their future