The CHEQ: Information for Teachers

At a Glance: Information for Teachers

What is The Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (CHEQ)?

The CHEQ is an innovative way to capture and report on children’s experiences in their early environments – from birth to Kindergarten. Research has shown that a child’s early experiences affect their cognitive, social and emotional development and ultimately their long-term health and well-being.  The questionnaire focuses on experiences in specific areas of development that are strongly linked to children’s health and well-being, education and social outcomes. The information from the CHEQ helps us understand how children are doing, so that teachers, school districts and communities can provide better support and services for families and their children.

How do the CHEQ & EDI work together?

Parents of Kindergarten children from participating schools across British Columbia complete the CHEQ in September. You, or teachers at your school, complete the Early Development Instrument (EDI) the following February. The information from the EDI can be linked to the CHEQ from the same school year and used to help us understand how the experiences children are having in the early years are related to skills and competencies measured on the EDI.

How were teachers involved?

The CHEQ was developed together with BC’s teachers, administrators and community stakeholders, in part, as an augmented teacher-intake form that is made available to parents to fill in online.

How is the CHEQ administered?

There is a trained facilitator at each school (e.g., principal) and this facilitator will have the support of the CHEQ team at HELP. Your school will organize an opportunity for parents of your incoming class to complete the CHEQ at your school in the first few weeks of the school year. The time scheduled for administering the CHEQ could be combined with other teacher/parent meetings that have been organized by the school. If parents are not able to attend the school event, they can also complete the questionnaire at home online. As soon as a parent submits their answers, schools will have instant, online access to individual level CHEQ reports. Schools will also receive aggregated classroom and school level reports. 

What do I have to do and when?

As a teacher, you have a choice about how involved you want to be. Your facilitator will be trained to make the reports available to you online (individual and classroom reports). If you choose to not be involved, the information will be used by your school for classroom and school purposes.  

How is information protected?

The protection of children and family’s privacy is something we take very seriously. Please visit our Safeguarding Personal Information page to learn more about how we protect the information that you provide on the CHEQ.