Kindergarten Parent Survey KPS
Kindergarten Parent Survey (KPS)
The Kindergarten Parent Survey (KPS) is a companion document to the Early Development Instrument (EDI) that provides more information on family characteristics and experiences of children before entering Kindergarten. This voluntary 8-page survey completed by parents of Senior Kindergarten students asks questions related to the following areas:
- Child Health and Development
- Child Care
- Pre-Kindergarten Experiences
- Kindergarten
- Family
- Neighbourhood
- Background Information
While the EDI provides a snapshot of how children are doing, the KPS provides information on specific or unique local factors (in neighbourhoods or communities) that may influence a child’s developmental health. The results can help service providers to assess the popularity of preschool programs; child care providers to get information on service usage, barriers, and satisfaction; and schools to measure parent involvement in school activities. Community planners can use information from the KPS to see how safe families feel in their neighbourhood, which resources they have (or do not) have access to, and their sense of social cohesion (e.g. sense of belonging in the community).
2012 KPS Results
The KPS was implemented across Ontario for the first time during Cycle 3 of the EDI. In the spring of 2012, Senior Kindergarten teachers from the following school boards in Windsor and Essex County completed EDIs on each of their students:
- The Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB)
- The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board (WECDSB)
- Conseil Scolaire Catholique Providence (CSC Providence)
- Conseil Scolaire Viamonde (CS Viamonde)
Parents of these students also received a Kindergarten Parent Survey. A total of 4,124 surveys were handed out and 1,934 (47%) were returned.
The Offord Centre for Child Studies has compiled a report for all of Ontario and the Data Analysis Coordinator for Windsor-Essex has added local results for comparison.
Highlights of Windsor-Essex KPS Results
Background Information of Respondents
The majority of respondents were mothers (87.8%), had always lived in Canada (76.4%), and primarily spoke English (86.4%). Almost 40% had a college diploma or trades certificate with most working 25–49 hours per week. 31.2% reported household income between $50,001-$100,000 and 27.9% greater than $100,000. Most families had two parents at home (81.1%) with 2 - 3 children.
Child Health and Development
Child Care
Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Experience
Services Used Prior to Kindergarten
Parental Involvement at School
Transportation to School
Activities with Children
- Talked together about their child’s day (79.9%)
- Told or read him/her a story (53.1%)
- Household chores together (42.0%)
Parenting Workshops
Parenting Challenges
Physical Activity
- With a coach or instructor – 64.5%
- Without a coach or instructor – 76.9%
TV, Computer, and Video Game Use
Neighbourhood / Community
Safety – Compared to the provincial results more respondents in Windsor-Essex (73.4%) felt their neighbourhood was safe to walk alone in after dark and 86.2% felt it was safe for children to play outside during the day. Most also felt they knew and could trust their neighbours.