Squamish kids are falling behind developmentally and if measures aren't taken to "stem the tide" the situation could become dire for the kids and society as a whole, according to experts.
A recently released study conducted over the last 10 years by B.C. organization Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) has shown that up to 45 per cent of Squamish five-year-olds are not at prescribed developmental levels when entering kindergarten.
And these kids are more vulnerable to staying behind, states the study, as they spend their academic lives playing catch up, and their working lives not attaining the success they would otherwise have had.
"They're less likely to be job ready," said HELP deputy director Joanne Schroeder.
"They're less likely to get successful employment and so when we think economically, with what is a shrinking demographic of children -most of us we're getting old and there's fewer children coming up behind -that we really need them economically to all be contributing to their fullest potential as adult."
This latest research represents the start of the fourth wave of data collected by HELP, which has been using a population-based measure called the Early Development Instrument (EDI) for the past 10 years to gather information on B.C. kindergarten children in five areas of development including language, communications, social, emotional and physical health.
The study held throughout the province showed 28 to 30 per cent of kids entering kindergarten are underdeveloped.
"Anything more than 10 per cent is avoidable under optimal conditions of early childhood," said Dr. Clyde Hertzman, director of HELP, Canada research chair in population health and human development and professor in the school of population and public health at UBC.
"So about two-thirds of the developmental vulnerabilities that B.C. children currently experience as they start school is preventable."
In Squamish the trend has favoured certain neighbourhoods.
In southern Squamish, 45 per cent of five-year-olds are less prepared for school than they should be whereas in northern Squamish, 25 per cent are less prepared.
"If we are losing many of them when we could be getting them better prepared just with some investment in early childhood, than that is a scary thing," said Schroeder.
"It's scary economically and ethically. It's scary to say 'In Canada we're just going to accept that 25 to 30 per cent of our kids are behind and are likely to stay behind,' rather than collectively trying to take action to change that."
Full day kindergarten is one step in the investment needed, but it's not enough, said Schroeder.
But there's hope, she said. Squamish has some dedicated groups and individuals lobbying businesses and local politicians to support such initiatives as the Sea to Sky Corridor wide Putting Children First Early Child Development Initiative.
According to its website, the initiative is based upon a large body of research proving the first six years of a child's life are crucial for biological, psychological and social development.
"The human and economic costs of failing to make the most of these years are staggering," it states.
For more information go to www.seatoskychildrenfirst.ca.
