Child development of kindergarten immigrant and non-immigrant boys and girls in Manitoba, Canada

BACKGROUND: The child development of immigrant children faces challenges related to integration and discrimination. Yet, little is known about differences in child developmental vulnerability before school entry according to maternal birthplace and sex. METHODS: Official immigration records were linked with the Early Development Instrument (EDI) assessments among 77,085 children in kindergarten in the province of Manitoba, Canada (2005-2017), 11,773 (15.3%) of whom had an immigrant mother. The EDI is a 103-item validated questionnaire completed by kindergarten teachers in publicly funded schools across five domains covering physical, emotional, social and cognitive skills. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios of developmental vulnerability associated with 11 maternal birthplaces and child sex. RESULTS: Children of immigrant mothers from most birthplaces had higher adjusted odds of developmental vulnerability than non-immigrants in domains related to language, communication skills and general knowledge (Adjusted Odds Ratios ranging from 1.2 to 5.9), except those of the rest of North America & Oceania. Children of Sub-Saharan African mothers were more vulnerable in four domains. Boys were consistently more vulnerable than girls across domains and maternal birthplaces. CONCLUSIONS: Children of immigrant mothers exhibited higher developmental vulnerability than non-immigrants in domains related to language and communication skills, potentially reflecting exposure to English and French as second languages, but not on physical health or emotional maturity. KEY MESSAGES: • Children of immigrants experience language and communication developmental challenges. • The girl’s advantage in early development is confirmed among immigrant children from various origins.