Parent and Community Resources
Grandview Kids
Phone: 905-728-1673
Overview
Grandview Kids provides family-centred paediatric and rehabilitation services for children and youth with physical, communication and developmental needs. One of the fastest ways to connect with Grandview is through the POP (Preschool Outreach Program).
To connect to the Preschool Outreach Program the intake process consists of a questionnaire that is to be completed by the childcare provider and the parents/guardians of a child/children that are attending a licensed childcare program in the Durham Region a minimum of 2 days per week. The children should have a developmental need identified by the childcare provider. A doctor’s referral is not required.
Should a family not wish to connect through the Preschool Outreach Program, they can also self-refer for some services. Families should call the centre for information on self-referral.
Services offered include:
Durham Behaviour Management
Phone: 905-668-4113 ext. 2829
Parent workshops:
Email: behaviourmanagement@durham.ca
Overview
Durham Behaviour Management Services helps children, their caregivers, and licensed child care operators support children, ages two to 12 years old, with behavioural difficulties. The best way to connect with these services is through the childcare centre. The centre also provides a newsletter and parent workshops (links above)
Durham Region Behaviour Management Services is funded by Special Needs Resourcing (SNR) Funding to provide consultation and training services to provide staff with positive-based methods of preventing and responding to problem behaviours in childcare centres. Durham Region Behaviour Management Services provides consultation for the whole room in a childcare centre, or for a specific child.
Services offered include:
The services that DBMS can provide are:
- Functional Assessments of problem behaviours
- Specific recommendations regarding the behaviour of a child, group of children or the environment as it effects behaviour
- Monitoring of presenting behavioural concerns
- Review and meeting with the parent/guardian and/or childcare staff members to discuss recommendations and provide continuity in programming
- Liaison with other agencies to provide a comprehensive delivery of service
- Modelling and training for specific procedures, and phone consultation to provide general information and answer questions
Surry Place – Blind Low Vision
Overview:
Surrey Place’s Blind – Low Vision Early Intervention Program is a family-centred service that is funded by Special Needs Resourcing (SNR) Funding to provide early intervention support to children ages 0 to age 6 with a diagnosed visual impairment, in natural settings including home and early learning settings. The goal of the service is to mitigate the risks of the visual impairment on the child’s development. Intervention services provided through the Blind – Low Vision program will assist the families and caregivers in providing opportunities that support the development of all the senses for optimized learning.
Supports Available:
Surry Place supports the early learning community through providing:
- Assessment of current sensory functioning to determine the child’s primary learning channel
- Evaluation of the child’s environments to develop recommendations for optimizing the child’s learning opportunities
- Support to families and caregivers to promote healthy attachment and social interactions
- Collaboration with the child’s professional team to promote strategies to support sensory functioning
- Consultation and training to community agencies and service providers
- Promotion of emergent literacy skills that include access of materials through print, braille and adapted auditory materials
- Facilitation of transitions to early learning settings and school
Intake: Referrals for service in Durham Region must be received through Regional Blind – Low Vision Early Intervention Program Lead Agency at Markham Stouffville Hospital:1-888-703-5437
Kinark Child and Family Services Autism
Overview:
Kinark has a 20-year history working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families across southern and central Ontario. Kinark provides high quality, evidenced-based services to thousands of children and their families by offering fee-for-service services that are designed to meet the unique needs of children and their families. Kinark Autism Services also provides complimentary services for parents, siblings, and caregivers of the children they service.
Supports Available to the Early Learning Community and Families:
- Psychological and Behavioural Assessments – fee for service
- Centre and Home-based ABA Treatment – fee for service
- ABA Consultative Services – fee for service
- School Support Staff – help transition children effectively into the school system
- Family Service Navigators – help families find and access services and supports needed
- Respite Experts – provide clients with engaging and safe experiences while families take a break from their caregiving responsibilities.
- Brief Behavioural Consultation – help to teach parents and caregivers tips and tricks and provide resources to help support children with autism
- Parent and Caregiver Education Workshops and Support Group
- Sibling Connect Support Group – siblings of children with autism are supported through connection with other children who have similar experiences
- Transition support – offers connection to a school consultant and other parents to help teach how to effectively advocate for your child, school policies and practices, individualized education plans (IEPs) and tips and tools for navigating the school system
- Information and Resource Sessions
- Kinark Outdoor Centre Autism Programs including camps and family respite programs
Intake Process
Connection with Central Intake is the beginning stage to gaining supports for children who have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Central Intake can answer questions, assist with the referral process, or help with service navigation to an agency or community service that can best meet specific needs. Programs require registration through the website.
Central Intake: 1-888-454-6275
Whitby Public Library
Phone numbers or individual branches listed below
Overview:
The Whitby Public Library is a publicly funded library whose mission is to be the community’s ‘Doorway to Discovery’: engaging minds and connecting people.
Supports Available to the Early Learning Community and Families:
- Programs – all in person programming is suspended due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Some programs have resumed virtually and area available on the library’s YouTube channel
- Book Club in A Bag – a book club program that contains 12 copies of a book, along with information on the author, some sample questions, and a sign-out sheet to match members with the copy of the book they have. – Sets can be picked up at any WPL branch with contactless pickup
- Community Information – assists in finding valuable resources, organizations and businesses in our community such as:
-
- The Arts
- Medical and Emergency Information
- Child Care Facilities
- Outdoor Activities
- Preschool and Children’s Programming
- Service Organizations
- Shelters and Food Banks
- Hobbies and Special Interests
- Information For New Residents
- Sports and Fitness
- LGBTQA
- Assisted Listening Devices – provided by the Town of Whitby in consultation with the Canadian Hearing Society. All branches of the Whitby Public Library offer equipment.
Intake:
To obtain a library card you must be able to prove Whitby as a place of residence, school, home ownership, or employment. Whitby Library also accepts members from other Durham Municipalities. Non-residents can pay a membership fee. Children the age of 13 must have a parent or guardian signature for membership. Applications for a library card can now be made online as well as in library.
Locations:
- Central Library – 405 Dundas St. W Whitby, ON, L1N 6A1
Phone: 905-668-6531 - Brooklin Branch – 8 Vipond Road, Brooklin, ON, L1M 1B3
Phone: 905-655-3191 - Rossland Branch – 701 Rossland Road East, Whitby, ON, L1N 8Y9
Phone: 905-668-1886
EarlyON Child and Family Centres
Overview:
EarlyON Child and Family Centres offer free programs to parents/caregivers and their children from birth to six years of age. These centres welcome all families to participate in quality programs that
- help strengthen adult-child relationships,
- support parent education, and
- foster healthy child development.
Qualified professionals can help families and caregivers find support, get advice, make personal connections and access a network of resources.
Currently all EarlyOn Child and Family centre sites and outdoor programs are closed. EarlyON will continue to provide virtual programming for you and your child.
Please visit the virtual programming calendar to find a program: