For these and other countries that do not have universal kinder-
garten, the EDI, which is specifically offered in kindergarten, would
have to be complemented by alternative survey techniques (e.g., to
sample the population by socioeconomic gradients and/or geograph-
ical boundaries) to gain a true population-based assessment of early
child development. In developing countries where universal enroll-
ment in kindergarten or even primary school is far from the reality,
researchers would need to combine the EDI with household surveys
such as the Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator
Cluster Surveys.
The EDI yields information about the number of vulnerable chil-
dren and the types of vulnerability present across a neighborhood,
community, city, state, or country. The data obtained may be inter-
preted for groups of children. For example, the EDI may be used for:
- Accurate measurements of ECD outcomes
- Assessments of variation in ECD outcomes over time; across juris-
dictions, social classes, and ethnic groups; and between genders - Causal studies to understand the determinants of ECD outcomes
through, for example, research on the effects of family, physical
environment, socioeconomic status, and access to health care - Action-oriented or applied research to assess the efficacy of na-
tional and community-based programs and policies to improve
ECD outcomes.
Using the EDI: Examples
The EDI has been applied broadly across Canada among kindergart-
ners and in Australia among 1st graders. Australia and Canada are us-
ing the EDI to map patterns of vulnerability among children across
communities. Two brief examples are—
Longitudinal Survey of Vulnerable Children Ages 4–6 Years.In Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada, researchers have matched EDI data with
school census data and children’s achievement test results longitudi-
nally. This tracking showed that primary schools, which had the great-
est proportion of children entering with low EDI scores, also had the276 J. Fraser Mustard and Mary Eming Young