Quality time refers to time spent with parents/guardians that is educational (e.g., reading) or structured (e.g., eating meals together). Quality time provides an opportunity for children and youth to strengthen their bond with their parents/guardians. Children who spend quality time with family are more likely to do better in school.[1] They are also less likely to participate in risky health behaviours (e.g., substance use) and are less likely to have depression.[2],[3]
| Senior kindergarten parents who report that finding family time is a challenge |
About the MeasureThis measure comes from the Kindergarten Parent Survey (KPS), a questionnaire completed by parents of senior kindergarten students. The KPS asks parents about the parenting challenges they experience. This measure presents data on all parents who indicated "finding family time is a challenge." The 2018 KPS was administered in Dufferin, but not Wellington and Guelph. If you would like to access 2018 KPS data for Dufferin, please contact Jane Hall at County of Dufferin Children’s Services: jahall@dufferincounty.ca Key FindingsIn 2015, senior kindergarten parents from Dufferin (30.5%) were less likely than parents from Wellington (40.4%) and Guelph (36.4%) to report that finding family time is a challenge. The percentages varied among the municipalities within these areas. This data can be found in the downloadable Excel file at the bottom of this page.
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Source: Kindergarten Parent Survey, 2015. Prepared by the County of Dufferin and the County of Wellington. WDG Report Card Coalition (distributor). Last updated August, 2016. LimitationsThe KPS is completed voluntarily and is subject to underreporting and response bias. Certain sub-groups of the population are less likely to respond to voluntary surveys. As a result, the data may not be representative of the entire population.
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| Youth who report spending quality time at home with their family |
About the MeasureThis measure is collected from the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (WDG) Youth Survey that gathers self-reported well-being data from grade 7 and 10 students. The survey asks how often youth spend quality time at home with their families. Students who respond “often” or “always” are categorized as having high levels of quality time at home. Students who respond “never”, “rarely” or “sometimes” are categorized as having low levels of quality time at home. Key FindingsAcross the three Youth Survey cycles, more grade 7 than grade 10 students reported spending high levels of quality time at home. Fewer non-binary than male and female students reported spending high levels of quality time at home (not shown in graph). Data by gender and the municipal level can be found in the downloadable Excel file at the bottom of this page.
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Source: WDG Youth Survey, 2011-12, 2014-15 and 2017-18. WDG Report Card Coalition. Last updated September 5, 2018. LimitationsThe WDG Youth Survey collects self-reported data and is subject to response bias and recall bias.
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[1] Cooksey, E. C., & Fondell, M. M. (1996). Spending time with his kids: Effects of family structure on fathers' and children's lives. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 693-707.
[2] Fulkerson, J. A., Story, M., Mellin, A., Leffert, N., Neumark-Sztainer, D., & French, S. A. (2006). Family dinner meal frequency and adolescent development: Relationships with developmental assets and high-risk behaviors. Journal of Adolescent Health, 39(3), 337-345.
[3] Eisenberg, M. E., Olson, R. E., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Story, M., & Bearinger, L. H. (2004). Correlations between family meals and psychosocial well-being among adolescents. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine, 158(8), 792-796.