2021 Child Care Excellence Awards
Inclusive Practices Award Honourable Mention
On May 25, 2021 the Ministry of Children and Family Development announced the recipients of the 2021 Child Care Excellence Awards. The Centre for Child Development was among the recipients, receiving an Honourable Mention in the Inclusive Practices Category!
Since our founding in 1953, The Centre for Child Development has been committed to our mission of helping children with special needs reach their potential. We have focused on overcoming barriers and enabling access to services and inclusion of those with special needs, ensuring collaborative therapies are customized to the unique needs of each child.
Thank you to our team of dedicated Early Childhood Educators, who focus every day on each child’s individual needs to enable them reach their full potential- especially during the challenges of the past year.
Inclusion- Overcoming Physical Barriers
Adaptations are made to our environments so children of all abilities and mobility levels can fully participate. This includes adapted toilets to enable all children washroom independence, spaces designed to accommodate a range of support equipment (wheelchairs, walkers, standing frames), and our hydrotherapy pool, which is fully accessible to children of all mobility levels.
Recently completed in 2019, our fully accessible and inclusive playground doubles as a therapeutic assessment area. Recognizing the critical importance of outdoor play in childhood development, our team worked with industry professionals to develop a truly unique outdoor space that allows children of all abilities an opportunity for inclusive participation in creative play and exploration with each other. It includes wheelchair accessible swings, ramps and handrails for safe access, and colours/materials that take into account sensory and mobility differences- all to enable children with a wide range of abilities and support needs to join in activities that support their development.
Inclusion- Overcoming Socioeconomic Barriers
The Centre for Child Development is one of the Universal Childcare Prototype sites, extending accessibility through affordability. We are privileged to participate in this program that ensures critical childcare services are accessible to all families, regardless of economic status, social challenges, or the difficulties experienced by new immigrants and refugees.
Recognition
Our commitment to providing quality, inclusive, and accessible services to children with a range of abilities and support needs is clear. In addition to receiving an Honourable Mention in the 2021 Child Care Excellence Awards, Inclusive Practices Award category, our childcare program regularly receives strong safety ratings from Fraser Health Authority licensing. The Centre for Child Development has also consistently achieved the highest possible CARF accreditation ratings since 2004, including our 6th 3-year CARF accreditation in November 2020 in Outpatient Medical Rehabilitation and Child & Youth Services (www.carf.org/CARFCanada).
Families have often expressed their gratitude for the inclusive support we provide for their children. In 2020, we received a letter from the parents of a child who had significant support needs. They wrote, “You had provided the normalcy for us, that we so much crave. And we are so grateful that you have always seen her abilities and achievements”.
Our children and families inspire us to continually innovate; our goal is to focus on each child’s unique needs, enabling all to participate fully in inclusive and accessible programs that help them reach their potential and succeed in all areas of their lives!
BC Government Press Release:
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021CFD0051-001009
2021 Child Care Excellence Awards on YouTube:
(Inclusive Practices Award starts at 1:15:00)