Every three years, parents and caregivers of senior kindergarten children across Halton are invited to share something invaluable: their experiences raising young children in our community.
This spring, the Kindergarten Parent Survey (KPS) is being conducted once again, and parents’ voices are more important than ever.
The KPS is a well-established research survey that has been conducted since 2003 by Our Kids Network (OKN) in partnership with Halton Children’s Services and all four public school boards (English and French).[1] Together, these partners use the survey to better understand the experiences, needs and priorities of families as children transition from kindergarten into formal schooling.
What is the Kindergarten Parent Survey?
The KPS asks parents and caregivers about a wide range of topics, including:
- Children’s health and development
- Access to medical care, child care, and other essential services
- Use of community and family supports
- Family well being, including stressors such as food insecurity
- Experiences of connection and trust within neighbourhoods
By capturing parents’ perspectives, the survey provides insights that cannot be found anywhere else.
All responses to the survey are anonymous and confidential, and findings are reported only at the group level. Individual families or children are never identified.
How parents’ input makes a difference
Results from the Kindergarten Parent Survey are actively used by local organizations, service providers, and municipalities to guide planning, funding decisions, and program design across Halton.
One valuable indicator that OKN has gathered data on since 2003 is neighbourhood cohesion, which refers to the level of trust and connectedness that residents feel with others in their neighbourhood.[1] [2] Since 2015, self-reported neighbourhood cohesion levels have declined across Halton, meaning that families are not as connected with one another within neighbourhoods compared to in the past.
To raise awareness of this issue, OKN published the KPS Neighbourhood Cohesion Research Brief. The data that appears in the research brief was used by local organizations in their planning and program development.
City of Burlington used neighbourhood-level data on neighbourhood cohesion to help decide where to focus outreach and community building efforts.
“The Community Development Team at the City of Burlington used data on neighbourhood cohesion from the 2023 KPS. This data along with other sources helped us make decisions on where to do outreach work and engage neighbourhoods. This helped us increase our Love My Neighbourhood events in those neighbourhoods.”
– Corey Long, Coordinator of Community Development and Recreation, City of Burlington
Halton Region Public Health also used data on neighbourhood cohesion from the KPS to inform planning of SmartParent, an innovative text messaging program:
“The 2023 Kindergarten Parent Survey found a decline in neighbourhood cohesion across Halton, with only 48% of parents reporting positive cohesion. Halton Region Public Health considered these findings to help customize SmartParent, a free prenatal and early parenting text messaging program timed to week of pregnancy or age of baby, for Halton residents. The weekly text messages offer, resources and links to local programs and supports to strengthen social connections for families.”
– Jennifer Hedges, Manager of Early Years and School Years, Healthy Families, Halton Region
Halton Region’s Community Safety and Wellbeing (CSWB) Plan used a range of different indicators from the KPS to monitor and promote the well-being of children and families in Halton:
“The KPS provides important information that helps support Halton Region’s CSWB Indicator Framework and Dashboard. This framework tracks 30 indicators related to the health, safety, and well‑being of Halton residents, highlighting both areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. Results from the survey are used to track trends related to childhood injury, how safe parents feel their neighbourhoods are for raising children, and how connected neighbours feel to each other. By completing the survey, parents contribute valuable insights that support local planning, collaboration, and action to improve outcomes for children and families across Halton.”
– Juan Medina, Decision Support Analyst, Social and Community Services, Halton Region
These examples illustrate the importance of local data on parents’ and caregivers’ experiences as their child makes the transition from senior kindergarten to grade one.
Your voice helps shape local supports
The Kindergarten Parent Survey is a critical way for families to share their experiences and help inform decisions that affect children and communities across Halton. For over 20 years, parent insights from the KPS have guided planning, funding, and program development.
If you are a parent or caregivers of a senior kindergartener and have been invited to participate in the survey through your child’s school, Our Kids Network encourages you to take the survey. Your voice helps ensure that local services continue to reflect the real needs and experiences of families raising young children in Halton.
Learn More about the Kindergarten Parent Survey
2023 KPS Research Brief on Neighbourhood Cohesion
2 Kawachi I, Berkman LF. Social Capital, Social Cohesion, and Health. In: Berkman LF, Kawachi I, Glymour MM, editors. Soc Epidemiology, 2nd ed. New York: Oxford Academic; 2014. p. 290-319.
3 Sampson RJ, Raudenbush SW, Earls, F. Neighborhoods and violent crime: a multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science. 1997; 277(5328): 918-24. doi: 10.1126/science.277.5328.918.
