The British Columbia Atlas of Child Development

Elizabeth Levin is chair of the Psychology Department at Laurentian
University.

The four main authors of this volume are members of the Human Early
Learning Partnership (HELP), an interdisciplinary collaborative research
network involving six B.C. universities. The goal of HELP is to broaden
our understanding of early child development in order to help children
thrive. One initiative is to map key indicators such as school readiness
in neighbourhoods throughout British Columbia.

The book is largely a collection of maps, tables, and figures intended
to provide a visual summary of key indicators. The maps are clear,
colourful, easy to read, and packed with information. Chapter 1 provides
an overview of the book. Chapter 2 presents the results of a demographic
survey of young B.C. children, including information on fertility and
low birth weight. Chapter 3 deals with the Early Development Instrument
(EDI), which measures physical health and well-being, social competence,
emotional maturity, language and cognitive development, communication
skills, and general knowledge. Chapter 4 examines the relationship
between the EDI results and socioeconomic status, and offers suggestions
for how communities can enhance social development (teach children to
take turns while playing games), physical health (turn off the TV), and
communication skills (read to your child). The maps presented in the
final chapter concern implications for public policy.

The British Columbia Atlas of Child Development is recommended for
researchers, governments, and individuals involved with early child
development.