Objectives of UEY

Each local UEY project has two overall objectives:  carrying out community-based research, and enabling community members to use the research-generated information to improve decision-making on children’s issues.  The community-based research can be further divided into gathering information and building knowledge.

The UEY Initiative does not deliver programs or services.

Benefits of the UEY Initiative

• For families and children:
  • Helps decision-makers better understand the needs of children and their families
  • Helps parents better understand how to enhance their children’s development
• For communities:
  • Helps members of communities to work together on behalf of families and children
• For non-governmental organizations:
  • Improves effectiveness of program and service delivery
• For governments:
  • Informs policy and program development related to early childhood development and community engagement

Kamloops UEY Project Objectives

1. Identify specific community needs, as well as emerging issues and trends in child development, to create a community based ECD Strategic Action Plan that will improve outcomes for children and families.
2. Enhance the community’s capacity to understand and interpret ECD research and make evidence-based program and policy decisions that support healthy early childhood development outcomes.
3. Strengthen community commitment and responsibility for child outcomes by broadening the diversity of the ECD coalition to include multiple sectors of the community.
4. Reduce early childhood vulnerabilities by creating and implementing a framework of education and awareness raising activities using common language and consistent context.