Foundational community factors: A local look at what and how neighborhoods matter for early childhood development in Quebec city, Canada

A comprehensive understanding of the influences of community-level factors on early childhood development (ECD), as well as the processes at play in local context, may aid to identify leverages points to enhance the wellbeing of young children. This short communication describes a small-scale local...

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Main Authors: Alexandra Matte-Landry, Anne-Marie Rouillier, Nicolas R-Turgeon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Wellbeing, Space and Society
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666558125000041
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author Alexandra Matte-Landry
Anne-Marie Rouillier
Nicolas R-Turgeon
author_facet Alexandra Matte-Landry
Anne-Marie Rouillier
Nicolas R-Turgeon
author_sort Alexandra Matte-Landry
collection DOAJ
description A comprehensive understanding of the influences of community-level factors on early childhood development (ECD), as well as the processes at play in local context, may aid to identify leverages points to enhance the wellbeing of young children. This short communication describes a small-scale local initiative in Quebec City (Canada) aiming to explore associations between community-level factors and ECD, as well as the mechanism underlying these associations. The exploratory comparative case design involved four urban disadvantaged neighborhoods, each exhibiting different ECD outcomes despite similar socio-economic status (SES). We employed mixed methods to document five categories of community-level factors: neighborhoods’ physical environment, social environment, services, governance, and SES. Quantitative data included administrative, survey, and monitoring data, while qualitative data involved field observations and interviews with 21 key stakeholders or service providers. The triangulation of data led to the identification of 19 Foundational Community Factors (FCFs) spanning the five categories of community-level factors. These FCFs highlight leverage points and potential areas of action in the local context, as well as more broadly. This study, though exploratory, contributes to the understanding of neighborhood effects by focusing on what and how neighborhoods matter for ECD. Moreover, it provides preliminary insights to inform interventions aimed at reducing risk factors and promoting protective factors, fostering systemic changes to support the wellbeing of young children.
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spelling doaj-art-2aa65959135e419eb09c68c4f6b342112025-01-22T05:44:10ZengElsevierWellbeing, Space and Society2666-55812025-06-018100238Foundational community factors: A local look at what and how neighborhoods matter for early childhood development in Quebec city, CanadaAlexandra Matte-Landry0Anne-Marie Rouillier1Nicolas R-Turgeon2School of Social Work and Criminology, Université Laval, Pavillon Charles-De Koninck, 1030 avenue des Sciences-Humaines, Québec (Québec), G1V 0A6, Canada; Centre de recherche universitaire sur les jeunes et les familles (CRUJeF), 2915 avenue du Bourg-Royal, Québec (Québec), G1C 3S2, Canada; Research Centre Jeunes, familles et réponses sociales (JEFAR), Université Laval, Pavillon Charles-De Koninck, 1030 avenue des Sciences-Humaines, Québec (Québec), G1V 0A6, Canada; Corresponding author at: School of Social Work and Criminology, Université Laval, Pavillon Charles-De-Koninck, local 5444, 1030, avenue des Sciences humaines, Québec (Québec) G1V 0A6, Canada.School of Social Work and Criminology, Université Laval, Pavillon Charles-De Koninck, 1030 avenue des Sciences-Humaines, Québec (Québec), G1V 0A6, Canada; Centre de recherche universitaire sur les jeunes et les familles (CRUJeF), 2915 avenue du Bourg-Royal, Québec (Québec), G1C 3S2, Canada; Research Centre Jeunes, familles et réponses sociales (JEFAR), Université Laval, Pavillon Charles-De Koninck, 1030 avenue des Sciences-Humaines, Québec (Québec), G1V 0A6, CanadaCentre de recherche universitaire sur les jeunes et les familles (CRUJeF), 2915 avenue du Bourg-Royal, Québec (Québec), G1C 3S2, Canada; Research Centre Jeunes, familles et réponses sociales (JEFAR), Université Laval, Pavillon Charles-De Koninck, 1030 avenue des Sciences-Humaines, Québec (Québec), G1V 0A6, Canada; School of Psychology, Université Laval, Pavillon Félix-Antoine-Savard, 2325 rue des Bibliothèques, Québec (Québec), G1V 0A6, CanadaA comprehensive understanding of the influences of community-level factors on early childhood development (ECD), as well as the processes at play in local context, may aid to identify leverages points to enhance the wellbeing of young children. This short communication describes a small-scale local initiative in Quebec City (Canada) aiming to explore associations between community-level factors and ECD, as well as the mechanism underlying these associations. The exploratory comparative case design involved four urban disadvantaged neighborhoods, each exhibiting different ECD outcomes despite similar socio-economic status (SES). We employed mixed methods to document five categories of community-level factors: neighborhoods’ physical environment, social environment, services, governance, and SES. Quantitative data included administrative, survey, and monitoring data, while qualitative data involved field observations and interviews with 21 key stakeholders or service providers. The triangulation of data led to the identification of 19 Foundational Community Factors (FCFs) spanning the five categories of community-level factors. These FCFs highlight leverage points and potential areas of action in the local context, as well as more broadly. This study, though exploratory, contributes to the understanding of neighborhood effects by focusing on what and how neighborhoods matter for ECD. Moreover, it provides preliminary insights to inform interventions aimed at reducing risk factors and promoting protective factors, fostering systemic changes to support the wellbeing of young children.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666558125000041Early childhood developmentEnvironmentNeighborhoodCommunityEcosystemic
spellingShingle Alexandra Matte-Landry
Anne-Marie Rouillier
Nicolas R-Turgeon
Foundational community factors: A local look at what and how neighborhoods matter for early childhood development in Quebec city, Canada
Wellbeing, Space and Society
Early childhood development
Environment
Neighborhood
Community
Ecosystemic
title Foundational community factors: A local look at what and how neighborhoods matter for early childhood development in Quebec city, Canada
title_full Foundational community factors: A local look at what and how neighborhoods matter for early childhood development in Quebec city, Canada
title_fullStr Foundational community factors: A local look at what and how neighborhoods matter for early childhood development in Quebec city, Canada
title_full_unstemmed Foundational community factors: A local look at what and how neighborhoods matter for early childhood development in Quebec city, Canada
title_short Foundational community factors: A local look at what and how neighborhoods matter for early childhood development in Quebec city, Canada
title_sort foundational community factors a local look at what and how neighborhoods matter for early childhood development in quebec city canada
topic Early childhood development
Environment
Neighborhood
Community
Ecosystemic
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666558125000041
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