Sooke

Population

In 2001, 6,450 people lived in Sooke, with a total of 400 children aged 0-4, comprising 6.2% of the total population.

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Mobility

On average, 19% of Victoria area residents (nearly one in five) changed homes in the year prior to the census. This is higher than both the BC (16.4%) and National (14.3%) mobility averages. In Sooke, 18% of the total population of this neighbourhood changed addresses in the year prior to the census; this represents slightly lower mobility than region as a whole.

High levels of mobility may be stressful for families and young children. This may affect the degree to which families know their neighbours, or are familiar with the resources around them. Families in neighbourhoods with high-mobility are less likely to connect with other families for informal support and information.

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Implications

In addition to being socially disruptive, a high level of transience is a huge challenge for community development approaches to child development and to continuity of care for children with special needs. When children reach school age, it becomes a further challenge for educational momentum and continuity. Increasing family residential mobility has been associated with higher levels of behavioural vulnerability in middle childhood. It is reasonable to infer that the high rates of residential transience in inner city neighbourhoods complicate efforts to build social cohesion that impacts children in those areas (Hertzman et al., 2002).

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Childcare

Good quality childcare can positively influence developmental outcomes for young children whether it is provided in the home or in a childcare centre.

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Access to Licensed Childcare

Sooke has between 20 and 31 spaces per 100 children aged 0-5 (2003).

There are thirteen licensed family child care facilities, five out of school care facilities, four preschools, one child minding facility, and three group child care facilities in the Sooke neighbourhood (2005). There is no infant care in this neighbourhood.

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Lone Parent Families

Close to one in five (19.2%) families in Sooke are headed by a lone parent. This is higher than the incidence in the Victoria area, where the average percentage of families with children that were headed by a lone parent in 2001 was 16%.

Lone parent families face significant challenges in balancing the demands of raising children while earning a living. Children of lone parent families are more likely to be living in poverty than those from two-parent families. While most children from lone-parent households do well, research has shown that a higher proportion of children with cognitive and behavioural problems come from such families.

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Income

A higher family income level makes the conditions for healthy child development more easily accessible. For example, access to good quality child care, nutritious food, secure housing, and community participation improves as income level rises.

The average annual household income in Sooke is $51,500 and 12.5% of the population of this neighbourhood, close to one in every eight residents, fall below the low income cutoff. The StatsCan Census Dictionary defines the low income cut-off as economic families or unattached individuals who spend 20% more than average on food, shelter and clothing. In 2000, nearly one in every ten families in Victoria was below the low-income cut-off (9%), compared with 13.6% of BC families, and 12.6% of Canadian families.

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Unemployment

Research has shown that neighbourhoods with high levels of unemployment can impact negatively on children's behavioural outcomes. The mean unemployment rate for the Victoria CMA was 6.6%, slightly lower than the overall national rate of 7.4% and the provincial average of 8.5%. The unemployment rate for Sooke is 7 - 8.4%, which is slightly higher than the regional unemployment rate.

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Education

Higher parental education is positively related to the language development of children. Studies have shown that the education level of the primary caregiver, often the mother, is of particular significance to the child's readiness for school . In Sooke, more than one quarter of adults (27%) have not completed grade 12. This is consistent than local and provincial averages of 19-20%.

Fewer than one eighth of adults (3.6 - 12.6%) in this neighbourhood has a bachelors' degree or higher.

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Pregnancy & Birth Information

There were 14,517 live births in the study area between 1998 and 2002. In 2001, there were 143 live births to women residing in Sooke, corresponding to a live birth rate of 20 - 29 per 1000 population.

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Small For Gestational Age

A baby that is born small for gestational age is one that has a low birth weight after consideration for duration of the mother's pregnancy. This measure is generally more useful than looking strictly at low birth weight because there is a stronger connection to the future use of health services; babies that are small for gestational age typically have long lasting health consequences and a greater need for services than low birth weight babies (though there is some overlap between the two groups). The smallest 10% of babies at each gestational age - excluding twins and triplets - are defined as 'small for gestational age'.

There were a total of 203 infants born Small for Gestational Age (SGA) in the study area during the period 1998 to 2002, accounting for 1.4% of all live births. In Sooke, between 6.8% and 12.2% of babies born between 1998 and 2002 were SGA. This is one of the highest SGA rates in the region.

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Low Birth Weight

Low birth weight babies are those less than 2500 grams or 5.5 pounds, and are either born before 37 weeks gestation or are small for gestational age. Low birth weight is a key determinant of infant survival, health and development. Low birth weight has been linked to infant mortality, physical disability and long term health problems, including heart disease and diabetes. In Sooke, 3.7% - 4.8%% of babies born between 1998 and 2002 had a low birth weight.

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High Birth Weight

High birth weight may increase an infant's disposition to certain chronic conditions in adulthood, including obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and breast cancer HBW is defined as infants born weighing over 4,000 grams . Between 1998 and 2002, the proportion of high birth weight babies in the study area ranged from 12% to 32%. In Sooke, approximately 17 - 18% of infants born between 1998 and 2002 had a high birth weight.

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Proportion of Infants Born to Teenage Mothers

Throughout the study site, there were a total of 94 births to teen mothers (aged 15-19) in 2001. The proportion of births to teen mothers by neighbourhood ranges from 0% to 12.2%. The teen fertility rate in 2001 for the study area is 10 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19. In Sooke in 2001, between 6.8% and 12.2% of births were to teenaged mothers.

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Early Development Instrument Results: Sooke/Westcoast

A total of 145 children from the Sooke, Saseenos, and Sooke Area are included in the EDI results for this neighbourhood. Based on the number of children tested, more than one third of the children in Sooke are vulnerable on one or more scales of the EDI. Based on the population aged 0-4 for Sooke, Sooke Area and Saseenos in 2001, there are approximately 205 vulnerable young children in this neighbourhood.

Table: Summary of EDI Results for Sooke/Westcoast

  Physical Social Emotional Language Communication Overall
Average score /10 8.55 8.25 7.62 8.06 7.93  
% Vulnerable 13.79 10.42 13.79 12.12 6.21 28.97
Classification High Challenge Medium Challenge High Challenge Medium Challenge Buffered  

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Physical Health & Well-being

Young children in Sooke/Westcoast scored in the average range on the physical well-being scale for the EDI. Approximately one in every seven children is considered vulnerable in terms of physical health and well-being. Based on the average score, and vulnerability, this is a 'high challenge' domain for this neighbourhood.

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Social Competence

Children in Sooke/Westcoast scored in the average range on this scale. One in ten children are considered vulnerable in terms of social competence compared to local cutoffs.

Given the average vulnerability and the average score, this is a 'medium challenge' domain.

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Emotional Maturity

Children in Sooke/Westcoast scored slightly lower than average in this domain. Roughly one in seven of children are considered vulnerable in terms of emotional maturity. Given low average scores and fairly high vulnerability, this neighbourhood is considered high challenge in this domain.

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Language & Cognitive Development

Children in Sooke/Westcoast scored in the average range in this domain, and one in eight children is considered vulnerable in this domain. Given the average scores and medium vulnerability, this neighbourhood is considered Medium Challenge in this domain.

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Communication and General Knowledge

Children in Sooke/Westcoast scored slightly higher than average for this domain. Fewer than one in sixteen children are considered vulnerable in this domain.

This neighbourhood is considered buffered in this domain.

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