The Human Early Learning Partnership is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of children through interdisciplinary research and mobilizing knowledge.
News and Events
-
Events
Poverty, Childhood Experiences & Well-Being in BC
Join long-time collaborators, First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Society and UBC’s Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP), on April 18 as they host an online presentation and discussion about the newly released 2023 BC Child Poverty Report Card and the relationship between income inequality and children’s daily experiences, development, and well-being.
-
News
Now Available: 2023 CHEQ Reports
Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (CHEQ) Reports for the 2023-24 school year are now available to access!
-
News
Supporting the Early Years: Insights from Pre-Conference Day at UBC’s Early Years Conference
On February 1, HELP hosted the Pre-Conference at UBC’s 2024 Early Years Conference, welcoming nearly 300 early years professionals from BC, across Canada and beyond.
-
Indigenous
HELP Among Recipients for 2023 Strategic Investment Fund
The award will fund the project, Actualizing Indigenous Data Sovereignty Principles, which aims to bring equity to HELP’s data and knowledge sharing processes, fostering research and evidence-based decision-making to enhance the health and well-being of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children.
-
News
New Faces, Fresh Perspectives: Three Esteemed Faculty Members Join HELP in 2024
HELP is delighted to mark the arrival of 2024 with the addition of three distinguished faculty and affiliate faculty members to its esteemed team of researchers: Dr. Tim Oberlander, Dr. Judy Gillespie, and Dr. Caroline Sanders.
-
News
HELP’s Year in Review: Reflecting on Achievements and Looking Ahead to 2024
As we bid farewell to 2023, we would like to take a moment to reflect on a year filled with accomplishments and milestones.
HELP's unique approach
Relationships
Reciprocity, accountability and respect are at the foundation of HELP’s longstanding relationships with communities, organizations, institutions and governments across BC and Canada. These relationships, along with guidance from an Aboriginal Steering Committee (ASC), contribute to our research, data and knowledge mobilization initiatives. Learn more about the Aboriginal Steering Committee.
Data
The Child Development Monitoring System safely and reliably gathers population-level data about the developmental health and well-being of children and adolescents at multiple times between infancy and 18 years of age. It is the foundation for much of the leading-edge research and knowledge mobilization undertaken at HELP. Learn more about the Child Development Monitoring System.
Expertise
Faculty, researchers and affiliates at HELP hold scientific expertise across a wide range of disciplines, contributing to a unique and diverse program of research that situates HELP research at the forefront of important health and equity issues. Learn more about HELP research.
Impact
HELP leads collaborative and inclusive processes that transform data and research into action. Across both practice and policy, HELP is focused on supporting evidence-informed change across systems, institutions and in communities. Learn more about HELP’s knowledge mobilization and research impact.
Publications
-
Mental Health
Evaluating the Psychometric Properties and Clinical Utility of a Digital Psychosocial Self-Screening Tool (HEARTSMAP-U) for Postsecondary Students: Prospective Cohort Study
JMIR Mental Health
Virk P, Arora R, Burt H, Finnamore C, Gadermann A, Barbic S, Doan QExisting screening tools for mental health issues among postsecondary students have several challenges, including a lack of standardization and codevelopment by students. HEARTSMAP-U was adapted to address these issues. This preliminary evaluation suggests that HEARTSMAP-U may be suitable for screening in the postsecondary educational setting. However, a larger-scale evaluation is necessary to confirm and expand on these findings.
-
Socio-Economic
Neighbourhood-level socioeconomic status and prevalence of teacher-reported health disorders among Canadian kindergarten children
Frontiers in Public Health
Janus Magdalena, Brownell Marni, Reid-Westoby Caroline, Pottruff Molly, Forer Barry, Guhn Martin, Duku EricNeurodevelopmental disability in children covers a vast array of congenital and acquired long-term conditions associated with brain or neuromuscular impairments that impact function. While some presentations of neurodevelopmental disability align with diagnostic labels, many do not, leaving children whose conditions don’t fit neatly under diagnostic labels struggling to access services or families and professionals feeling pressured to assign a diagnostic label in order to access services.
-
Equity
Rethinking diagnosis-based service models for childhood neurodevelopmental disabilities in Canada: a question of equity.
Paediatrics & Child Health
Angie Ip, Brenda T Poon, Tim F OberlanderNeurodevelopmental disability in children covers a vast array of congenital and acquired long-term conditions associated with brain or neuromuscular impairments that impact function. While some presentations of neurodevelopmental disability align with diagnostic labels, many do not, leaving children whose conditions don’t fit neatly under diagnostic labels struggling to access services or families and professionals feeling pressured to assign a diagnostic label in order to access services.
-
Socio-Economic
Childhood poverty and school readiness: differences by poverty type and immigration background.
SSM – Population Health
Randip Gill, Mohammad Ehsanul Karim, Joseph H. Puyat, et al.This study reinforces the importance of economic policies to support low-income families, which have been associated with a reduction in negative health outcomes for children.
-
Outdoor Play
Running the risk: The social, behavioral and environmental associations with positive risk in children’s play activities in outdoor playspaces.
Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education
Loebach, J., Ramsden, R., Cox, A. et al.This paper investigates factors influencing risk-taking by examining young children’s play behaviours across two studies utilizing the same behaviour mapping framework.
Indigenous Initiatives at HELP