Your gift through the Child Development Foundation of BC may also support Sophie’s Place, a collaborative team of police, victim services workers, and social workers that help victims of physical and/or sexual abuse (up to age 15) in a safe and compassionate environment, reducing trauma while fostering trust, healing, and resilience.

Feeding & Nutrition is an intensive program for some of the most medically involved and youngest children whose feeding safety/nutrition is compromised due to developmental disabilities. A specialized team provides feeding assessments, recommendations on positioning, equipment and food, and works with children to develop skills for safe swallowing.

The team relies on your support through the Child Development Foundation of BC and consists of a developmental pediatrician, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, and a registered dietician.

Donations to the Child Development Foundation also can support the fabrication of custom casts and splints to correctively maintain arms/legs in a certain position and/or to help children overcome activity limitations, such as difficulties with standing and walking. As children grow and change, new customized casts/splints are made to support their development.

Your gift help provide this service to families free of charge- an average cast/splint can cost approximately $700-800, and these could need replacement every few weeks/months depending on the child’s individual progress.

Your gifts through CDFBC can also contribute to customizing children’s mobility devices (wheelchairs, strollers, power-chairs) to make the most of each child’s unique mobility needs so they can fully participate at home, school, and in the community.

Our Equipment team works in consultation with the child, their family, therapists, physicians, hospitals, and equipment suppliers to meet the child’s functional positioning/mobility needs and goals, and monitor for growth and physical changes.

Your gifts facilitate recreation therapy that promotes participation. This includes a unique therapeutic pool that is equipped to enable easy access for all ability levels. Children are helped with a range of abilities, from clumsiness or coordination challenges and gross motor delays to cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscle disease or orthopedic conditions.

Collaborative recreation therapy programs are designed to help children develop and integrate gross motor skills, independence, and communication skills. The pool’s warmer water makes therapy easier, relaxing muscles while helping build muscle strength and improve balance. A smaller pool is also more accessible for those with sensory sensitivities (autism).

As a donor to the CDFBC you are supporting children through access to these facilities as well as consultations recommending equipment/activities to achieve therapeutic goals. This includes a modified swim program (goal = community swim lesson integration) and groups in conjunction with other therapies (Speech, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy).

Your gifts support fully-accessible school swim programs and drop-in groups for families and adults with disabilities.