How Others Use the EDI

​Communities around the world have used the EDI to inform policy and programmatic changes to improve the lives of children. See below for examples of how different communities are using the EDI:

British Columbia: The Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) at the University of British Columbia has collected EDI data on kindergarten children across the province of British Columbia since 2001. They have developed interactive maps and comprehensive reports for all of BC’s 59 school districts to inform early childhood coalitions, school representatives, policy makers, and researchers.

​Australia: The Australian Government has partnered with child health research institutes to administer the EDI across the country since 2002. They have now collected three sets of EDI national data, which enables stakeholders to see how young children are progressing over time and informs nationwide policy and planning efforts.

Illinois: In 2016, the Erikson Institute launched a three-year pilot project to provide the Early Development Instrument (EDI) to communities throughout Illinois. A total of five communities will implement the EDI during the pilot phase. Erikson is the second institution in the United States to hold a license under the copyright of McMaster University for implementing the EDI.

Orange County: In 2008, Orange County, CA became the first community to implement the EDI in the United States. In 2015, the Children & Families Commission of Orange County collaborated with the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities to collect data in all 387 public schools with a kindergarten population. The commission has also developed maps and in-depth reports.

Washington DC: The DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education collaborated with the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities to administer the EDI in 116 DC schools between 2015 and 2017. They have developed a website presenting the EDI data and providing tools for acting on the data.

Pasadena: The city of Pasadena, CA, the Pasadena Unified School District, and the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities collaborated in 2013 to collect EDI data. In 2015 the EDI results were included in the Pasadena Early Childhood Development Policy.

Santa Monica: The city of Santa Monica, CA has included its EDI data in a citywide youth wellbeing report card that helps partners identify, prioritize, and implement strategies to support youth and families.