Early Years Evaluation (EYE)

The Early Years Evaluation (EYE) provides parents, teachers, and school principals with important information on children’s early developmental skills.   This information will help to support a positive transition to school for your child.

When and where does my child complete the Early Years Evaluation?

Children complete the EYE in April before they start school in September.  They complete the EYE at the school they are registered to attend.

How long does the Early Years Evaluation take?

The EYE takes between 30 and 45 minutes to complete.

What does the Early Years Evaluation measure?

The EYE measures your child’s developmental skills in four areas:

• Awareness of self and environment
• Cognitive Skills
• Language and Communication
• Gross and Fine Motor Development

What do these 4 developmental areas mean?

Awareness of self and environment

• Thinking and talking about their world (e.g. identifying opposites, common animals, colours)
• Making connections with home and community (e.g.  a police officer keeps you safe)

Cognitive skills

• Counting
• Naming some letters and sounds
• Identifying objects that are same or different
• Identifying some words that rhyme

Language and communication

• Using full sentences of  5 to 7 words
• Understanding ‘action’ words
• Listening to and understanding instructions

Gross and fine motor development

• Using crayons, pencils and scissors (e.g. making shapes, letters, and numbers)
• Balancing, jumping, and hopping on one foot

What do the results look like and what do they mean?

You and your child’s school will each receive a copy of the report.  It will provide you with information on your child’s strengths and needs.

Remember, the Early Years Evaluation is a snapshot in time of the skills your child chooses to show on a particular day.  The results for each of the four areas will be indicated by a shape.

• A square means that your child's development is typical for children of a similar age.
• A circle means your child would benefit from additional experiences in this area.
• A triangle means your child would benefit from additional experiences in this area, and may require further assessment and on-going support.
• A square with a stroke through it means your child did not complete enough items in the domain to provide a result.

What can I do to help my child gain more experience in these areas?

Encourage your child's awareness of self and environment by:

• Taking your child to the library, grocery store, bakery, pharmacy, the rink or other community places and talk about the jobs that people do.
• Playing ‘I Spy’.  Make sure you include different shapes and sizes of objects.  We all love ‘I Spy’!
• Having a fun game of ‘Simon Says’.  Use directions that include the words – on, beside, under, over, above. 
• You can identify signs together, like the female and male pictures on washroom doors, the Exit sign, the traffic signs – stop, yield, along with the green, yellow, red stop lights. Don’t forget the danger signs.
• Talk to your child about the reason we do things.  For example, we wear mittens to keep our hands warm.
• Allow your child to help set the table, cook, pour drinks or cereal and even make his or her own snacks.

Encourage your child's cognitive skills by:

• Baking with your child.  Have your child measure out the ingredients.
• Practicing printing your child’s name with him/her.
• Have magnetic letters/numbers on the fridge – have them show you the letters that are in their name.
• Looking for numbers in and outside your home (e.g. on the calendar, clock, remote control, keypad on a phone or computer, your house or apartment number).
• You can read your son or daughter’s favourite book to them, you can have them read a book to you, and you can tell each other stories.
• Take time to count together.  Count the plates when you are setting the table, count how many eggs are needed for breakfast, and count the number of steps when you are climbing the stairs.
• Talking with your child.
• Help your child develop ways to work out a solution to a problem.

Encourage your child's language and communication development by:

• Reading to your child as often as you can and encouraging your child to “pretend read” to you too.
• Having a variety of materials (e.g. blank forms, envelopes, scraps, little note pads, chalk, finger paint, pencils, crayons) available for your child to draw and experiment with writing.
• Letting your child see you write (e.g.  cards, lists, messages) and tell them what you are doing.
• Have your child tell you about their morning or afternoon – what did they do first, second…and so on.
• Talk about routines.
• Have fun with rhyming words.  You say a word like ‘bat’ and your child may say ‘cat, fat, hat, mat, pat, sat, tat …”.
• Listen carefully to your child.  Reflect back with comments, ask questions, and use descriptive words to encourage your child to think more deeply about ideas.

Encourage your child's gross motor development by:

• Encourage your child to be physically active – provide safe outdoor areas where your child can run, jump and play.
• Give your child chances to develop balance by walking on a log or curb or climbing up and down hills.
• Dancing with your child to music on the radio, TV or favourite CDs.
• Spend active time with your child by playing catch, walking, bowling, skating or biking.

Encourage your child's fine motor development by:

• Encouraging your child to draw, colour, or paint pictures and make things.  
• Squish, squeeze and pull materials such as snow, play dough, clay or bread dough.
• Spend time helping your little one print his/her name in sand, Jello, and using crayons and scissors to make decorations for the house or better to make you a special card!

Who can I contact for more information?

Achievement and Accountability
Education and Lifelong Learning
Holman Centre
250 Water St., Suite 101
Summerside, PE  C1N 1B6
Tel: (902) 438-4887
Fax: (902) 438-4889