Vulnerable in emotional maturity

What is it?

Vulnerable in Emotional Maturity is based on the percent of Kindergarten children who scored below the vulnerability cut-off (6.0 out of 10) in areas of emotional development that include the ability to think before acting, an ability to deal with feelings, and empathetic response to other people.

Why is it important?

Children who are vulnerable in emotional development may have problems managing aggressive behavior, be prone to disobedience, inattentive, impulsive, or unable to show helping behavior towards other children. Vulnerability in emotional development in the early years can impact future school success, mental health, life satisfaction, social relationships and behaviour challenges into adolescence and adulthood.

What does it mean?

Children in Toronto are less vulnerable in Emotional Maturity as compared to Ontario as a whole. In 2014/15, 10.7% of children tested in Toronto were vulnerable in the Emotional Maturity domain as compared to 12.3% in Ontario. Figure 1 shows neighbourhoods across the City had a large range of vulnerability in Emotional Maturity. Figure 2 shows that neighbourhoods with a higher Inequities Score were slightly more likely to have children vulnerable in Emotional Maturity.

Figure 1: Percent of children who are vulnerable by neighbourhood, Toronto, 2014/15

2.1_Figure1

Data Source

Offord Centre. Early Development Instrument, 2014/2015.

Limitations

Children’s emotional maturity can develop at different rates. Emotional skills can be highly dependent on factors that alter daily such as levels of sleep and mood.

Research & Resources

Offord Centre (2015).
Hertzman, C. et. al (2002). Early Development in Vancouver: Report of the Community Asset Mapping Project. Vancouver: HELP.
Shanker, S. (2014). Broader Measures for Success: Social/Emotional Learning. In Measuring What Matters. Toronto: People for Education.

Indicators

Mental Health & Social Development
Vulnerable in emotional maturity

Vulnerable in social competency

Emotional Well-being

No Close Friendships

Feeling Nervous or Anxious
Physical Health & Development
Smoking During Pregnancy

Low birth weight

Breastfeeding

18-Month well baby visit

Vulnerable in physical development

Oral Health

Immunization Compliance

Fruit and vegetable consumption

Screen time
Learning & Education
Enjoyment of reading

Student Achievement

Vulnerable in language and cognitive development

Vulnerable in communication and general knowledge

Feeling Safe at School

Adequate Support in School
Rights & Opportunities
Child hunger

Children Living in Low-Income Households

Participation in Arts or Sports outside of School

Participating in Early Learning Programs
Nurture & Care
Support from Teachers

Feeling Unsafe in the Community

Child-Parent Relationships

Reading With a Caregiver