How is the research generated by the Provincial ECD Mapping Unit being used by school districts?
Janet Mort, UVic PhD student and former BC school superintendent, surveyed 42 BC school districts² and found that school districts value the EDI process and would like it to continue under the leadership of Dr. Hertzman and HELP. Ms. Mort reports that school districts have begun to embrace a new role and responsibility and are examining and using the EDI to plan interventions and partner with other agencies to serve the needs of families with young children. Of the districts participating in this survey, 38 of 42 indicated that they have formed or joined a local intersectoral coalition concerned with ECD. They reported that working with these coalitions was one of the most significant outcomes of the EDI process and results. In addition to collaborating on the development of new programs and services (identified below), some districts have used the research results to reallocate resources, so that schools identified with high numbers of children vulnerable on the EDI have been assigned
