Growing to meet growing needs

The Centre acknowledges the significant support of the Government of British Columbia and its recognition that,

“A child’s experiences in the first six years of life affect their immediate and long-term development, and have a strong impact on their social and health-related outcomes later in life. Vulnerabilities families may experience during these years can have profound impacts on this journey. Many vulnerabilities can be lessened or even prevented if families have the supports they need…There is demonstrated need to improve the supports and services for families during the early years period, including making them more consistently available, clearer in what they provide, and more welcoming to families of different experiences and levels of vulnerability.

There is also a need to create clearer pathways from these programs and services to enhanced supports and services that address vulnerabilities a child or family might face, such as Infant and Youth Mental Health supports and Children & Youth with Special Needs services.” (Province of BC, Early Years Service Framework, pages 3, 7)

Therefore, The Centre is actively working on expanding our facilities and our services to provide even more welcoming spaces and ways for children and families to receive the help they need when they need it. In particular, The Centre is expanding integrated services with speech, physio & occupational therapy for those critical early development years. The Centre is an integral part of a family’s support network for early intervention.

FACILITIES – Renovations and expansion projects

The Centre’s buildings require renovation and expansion to make room for more children requiring service. The original structures were built in 1974 and have had additions built in the intervening years.

In the last several years, The Centre has:

• Created 37 new daycare spaces
• Completely renovated Communication Therapy wing
• Added a new roof and more efficient operating plant
• Created a new Medical Suite co-locating our Developmental Pediatrician’s Office, Examining Room and Family Room adjacent to Reception, and
• Opened bright, fresh, new Therapy offices and Staff Room on our lower floor.

New projects include:

Expanding Sophie’s Place – Sophie’s Place provided wrap around services to children up to 10 years old who have been mentally, physically, or sexually abused. The award-winning, best practices model of services in a very child friendly location are provided by the RCMP, the Ministry of Children and Family Development, and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.

The growing demand for service is outstripping our existing space, requiring us to find innovative solutions and create space for the children who most need our services. Thanks to the support of all our partners, funders and donors, Sophie’s Place has been expanded to accommodate services for youth 11 to 15 years old.

As part of the Sophie’s Place redevelopment, some of the space has been re-purposed for the Supported Child Development Team. The new area for SCD provides much needed collaborative space and alleviate some of the crowding in our main building.

Children’s Therapy Assessment Playground – The Centre has constructed an innovative, state-of-the-art play and therapy area accessible to children of all abilities. Therapists are able to assess children’s movements and provide therapeutic care while children play in a colourful, interactive, natural setting on the safest surfaces. Our “outdoor assessment lab” utilizes inclusive features such as accessible swings, ramps, and interactive panels.

Hallway Flooring – Our partners at G&F Financial secured additional funding to help us replace the worn carpeting throughout the main hallways and stairwells. The existing carpet had seen many decades of heavy traffic and was wearing very thin in several areas. We are so grateful that our children with mobility aids will find it easier to wheel themselves toward their favourite spaces – the OT & PT gyms!

Physiotherapy & Occupational Gyms’ Renovations – Thanks to our partnership with G&F Financial Group, the funds raised at their 2019 golf tournament helped The Centre renovate both the Occupational Therapy and the Physiotherapy gym floors – two of the busiest spaces in The Centre.

The previously carpeted gym floors were taken down to the subfloor, leveled, and completely renovated. The new easy-to-clean linoleum floors are cushioned, allowing even the most fragile children to fall safely. Our children learn to move, wriggle, reach, climb, bounce, and some even take their very first steps in our gyms. This exploration is a critical part of children’s development as they develop their skills to engage and be part of the community around them: now they can do so in a safe, friendly, and supportive environment.

Thanks to the efforts of our friends at RAM Construction, we were able to stretch these funds to include installation of some new, energy-efficient windows and a fresh coat of paint to brighten both gyms’ walls.

With the continued generosity of G&F Financial through the proceeds of their 2020 Virtual Golf Tournament fundraiser, RAM Construction, and other donors, the next phase of the gym renovations will include installation of additional energy-efficient windows and a much-needed AC system to provide cooling for year round service.

The Children’s Learning & Resource Centre – The Centre for Child Development is developing a regional SCD Training and Resource Centre which will enhance Early Childhood Education professionals’ skills to support children with special needs in community settings across the South Fraser region. Training may be provided by The Centre’s clinical leaders, SCD consultants, pediatric therapists and regional community partner specialists. The Resource Centre will be in a large new, purpose built, portable on The Centre’s Surrey site.

SERVICES – Expanding supports and programs

As mentioned above, as of the 2016 Census there were 27,000 children identified as having special needs, which we can anticipate is now about 30,000 and possibly up to 32,000 in the next two to three years due to the high growth rate in our region. In 2017-18, we served about 3,140 children and families and our waitlists are ever growing as the need grows. The average number of children waiting per month for each service grew from 47 to 69 (about 32%) between 2016-17 and 2017-18. In 2023/2024, we continued expanding our services, helping over 7,000 children!

Our teams work hard to provide services in neighbourhoods throughout the South Fraser Region. The Centre provides needed support in more than 353 locations for children; in their schools, their preschools, their homes, and in our Surrey, Delta and Langley locations. The Centre takes an integrated, multidisciplinary approach with children from the critical early years up to 18 years, working collaboratively with families and other agencies. The sooner children receive help, especially with speech and language development, the greater their chances of success in later years.

The Centre’s Early Years program provides low-barrier supports for all families with children ages birth through 6 years old. Families in the Early Years program can meet with a Navigator to be connected with appropriate community services such as childcare or housing, attend one of our early child education groups, or participate in one of our parent support groups. The Early Years program also actively collaborates with community agencies such as libraries, food banks, and charitable organizations to partner on delivering service to vulnerable families with young children.