Report sheds light on kids readiness for school

Beth Macdonell, CTV Winnipeg Published Thursday, March 13, 2014 6:43AM CST Last Updated Thursday, March 13, 2014 5:58PM CST

A recent report compiled by Peg , a group that tracks the well-being of Winnipeggers, shows almost one third of kids are not as ready as they should be to start school.

The key is always having the parents involved and making sure they realize they are first teachers, said Pinkham School kindergarten teacher Tricia Pelley.

The report looked at readiness in five categories - physical health, language and thinking, social competence, communication and emotional maturity.

On average, 63.4 per cent of Winnipeg children were ready for school.

Downtown that slips to 51.1 per cent, Point Douglas at 55.6 per cent, Assiniboine South which includes Charleswood and Tuxedo at 57.9 per cent. St. Vital came in below average too at 62.8 per cent.

"That's a lot of kids, said Healthy Child Manitoba researcher Teresa Mayer.

Mayer has studied the data for a decade and says students can fall behind without a solid start at school.

"We know that if you are not succeeding right away sometimes you may be more prone to bullying, some of these kids are less likely to graduate from high school and we know this also has repercussions for when they become adults, said Mayer.

On the very ready side of the spectrum, River Heights came in at 67.9 per cent, St. James-Assiniboia at 70.2 and topping the list - St. Boniface at 75.7

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Report sheds light on kids readiness for school