For Immediate Release
February 8, 2011 –
Community Profiles Report Helps Service Providers In KFL&A
Report provides snapshot of children & youth
A Community Profiles Report compiles data to reveal strengths and vulnerable areas of children and youth to key service providers in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL&A). The report, done for the first time in 2007, is a planning tool for service providers to address various opportunities, needs and issues within the community.
“We know that data obtained from the Community Profiles Report will allow key service providers to both plan and meet the various needs of the community, and we believe it will lead to improvements in the lives of children and youth who may be at risk.” said United Way serving KFL&A President & CEO, Bhavana Varma. “Presenting the data with fun graphics will, we hope, help agencies to communicate gaps and issues to their boards, funders and stakeholders.”
The Community Profiles Report is the result of a collaborative community effort with the four Children and Youth Planning Tables, Public Health Epidemiologists and Data Analysis Co-ordinators in the South East Region, which includes Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington; Hastings-Prince Edward County; Leeds & Grenville and Lanark County. The United Way serving KFL&A helped to coordinate the production of the report.
“The next step will be to look geographically where our at-risk youth are and continue to work collaboratively to engage this population,” said Daren Dougall and JoAnne Maltby, Co-Chairs of the KFL&A Children & Youth Services Steering Committee.
The focus of the Steering Committee will now be to increase education and awareness with families and the importance of a stimulating environment for young children 0-3 specifically, support the stabilization and increase quality to our existing childcare programs and early years centres and continue to collaborate to provide supports for all children, youth and families.
The report is made up of separate booklets. There is one covering health Indicators as well as a booklet for each of the 4 communities. Limited printed copies are available for distribution and all 5 booklets are available online.
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Media Contact:
Bhavana Varma, President & CEO
United Way serving KFL&A, 613-542-2674 ext.2
bvarma@unitedwaykfla.ca
HIGHLIGHTS
KFL&A Community Profile
2009 Early Development Indicator (EDI) results show that in 9 of the 17 neighbourhoods within KFL&A, there is a higher percentage of Senior Kindergarten children with a vulnerable score in Physical Health and Wellbeing (Stone Mills, Addington Highlands, Greater Napanee, North Frontenac, Central Frontenac, Bedford, Portland, Central North Kingston, West Kingston) than in KFL&A as a whole (KFL&A Community Profile, pages 14-30).
In West Kingston, there has been an increase in the percentage of vulnerable children in all EDI domains, with an increase from 19.2% vulnerable in one or more domains in 2006 to 30.8% vulnerable in 2009 (KFLA Community Profile, page 14).
Contact information regarding Data for KFL&A:
- Megan Hughes, Data Analysis Coordinator – Hastings, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington, 613-279-2244
- Joel Lefebvre, Data Analysis Coordinator – Kingston and The Islands, 613-384-5051
Health Indicators booklet
Positive
Physical Activity (Figure X5) Youth aged 12-19 years in Southeastern Ontario reported significantly lower levels of physical inactivity when compared to Ontario as a whole for both 2005 and 2007.
This could indicate some success on the part of such partners as local Public Health agencies, school boards, and municipal parks and recreation programs in promoting and supporting physical activity opportunities for this age group.
Negative
Smoking (Figure X19) A higher percentage of female youth aged 12-19 years in Southeastern Ontario reported smoking in 2007 compared to 2005. This trend to higher rates in young females, while not statistically significant, is worrisome.
Smoking during Pregnancy (Figure X40) The percentage of mothers who reported not smoking during pregnancy remained consistent. Of note for KFL&A, however, is that one-fifth of pregnant women are still smoking, indicating that there is still a lot of work to be done in this area.
Contact information regarding Health Indicators in KFL&A:
- KFL&A Public Health, 613-549-1232
Caring for Our Children & Youth: Community Profiles
Q & A’s
Q: Why did you do the report?
A: The report is intended to provide specificinformation that will support service providers, parents, professionals, and organizations by identifying areas of strength and vulnerability in the population of children and youth. The Report paints a clearer picture of the neighbourhood environments in which our children are growing
Q: Who did the report?
A: The Community ProfilesReport: Indicators for Children andYouth in the South East Region, is the result of a collaborative community effort with the KFLA United Way, the KFL&A Children and Youth Services Steering Committeeand the other three Children and Youth Planning tables in the South East Region and our Data Analysis Co-ordinators.
Q: What will the report be used for?
A: It will serve as a planning tool for service providers to facilitate opportunities to respond to identifiedneeds and gaps.
- Is a measuring tool to track improvements in the situation of children over time that will help to prompt and guide further research in this area.
- Initiates ongoing collaborative efforts between community members, groups, and organizations involved in child development.
- Serves as the catalyst in building awareness of the areas of strength and vulnerability that are relevant to the population of children and youth.
Stimulates community action to help children get the best possible start in life. We can all be a part of the solution
Q: Who will use the report?
A: The report will be used by the KFL&A Children and Youth Services Steering Committee and other community groups and agencies serving children and youth in our community.
Q: What else do we need to know about the report and its use?
A: The data contained within this resource is but one piece of a more complete picture.We must also consider our experience and personal knowledge of the communities we serve to fully appreciate the challenges presented.
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