What is School Readiness to Learn and Why is it Important?/The Early Development Instrument/Multiple Challenge Index

The EDI measures children’s readiness to learn at school and was developed by
Drs Dan Offord and Magdalena Janus of the Offord Centre for Child Studies at
McMaster University. According to the School Readiness to Learn Project, “all
children are born ready to learn but not all children arrive at school ready to
learn." More specifically, some children are not equipped to meet the demands
of the classroom and to benefit from the educational activities offered there.

The EDI is a 104-item checklist that is completed by senior kindergarten teachers
for each child in their class and measures readiness for the Grade one learning
environment. Although it is completed for individual children, the results are
compiled and interpreted for groups of children living within a particular
geographic area, such as a neighbourhood or city. As such, the EDI is known as a
population-based measure and is not a diagnostic tool, nor is it an indication of a
school’s performance. The results of the EDI, in combination with other local
data, are meant to help inform communities about the development of their
young children so that they may provide the supports necessary for future
school readiness.

Senior kindergarten teachers complete the EDI a few months into the school year,
allowing them time to observe the children and to provide a more accurate
picture of their development.

The EDI was first implemented during the 1998/1999 school year in the Toronto
area. In 2005/2006, it was implemented in various sites across Canada and was
completed for over 100,000 children.

The EDI checklist assesses children’s school readiness to learn in five domains.
Each domain is comprised of a number of sub-domains which represent a
unique aspect of a child’s development.

What is School Readiness to Learn and Why is it Important?/The Early Development Instrument/Multiple Challenge Index