Child Development Unit

All services within the Child Development Unit are offered with a vision of healthy communities built through supporting families.
Through community development initiatives, that aim to connect people to one another and to their larger society, we will collectively build communities that are
places of safety, hope and pride for all children and families.

FOUNDATIONS AND PRINCIPLES

We recognize and work to reduce the systemic marginalization that families face.
We offer strength-based groups that promote healthy parent child interactions.
We bring expertise in the area of Early Childhood Development, Early Learning and Parenting, Family Support and Community Development.
We offer universal and targeted programs for families with children 0-12.
We act as lead agency in neighbourhood centres to help bring meaningful and relevant services where people live.

The Child Development Unit is staffed by six full-time Child development Workers, a Family Support Worker and a Community Developer. These staff members provide a variety of services in a structured yet nurturing environment for the children who attend with activities to promote gross and fine motor skills development, cognitive development, and to meet social, emotional, and developmental needs. Programs may include free play, a creative/craft period, circle time, snack, and story telling. While in this environment children's creativity is encouraged, self-esteem is enhanced through positive interaction with parents, peers and staff and behaviour is reinforced or redirected in a positive manner. The Child Development Workers are available to promote a healthy environment, offer guidance with regards to child development, play and interaction, or behaviour management and offer support to parents. They also provide appropriate referrals to information sources for parents who have questions regarding resources in the community. Much of this programming is provided in consultation with social workers.

Child Development Workers can provide individual developmental assessments and will implement individual or small group programs within the context of the FRC or community site to deal with the developmental needs of children. This may be very pragmatic support, focusing on specifics of every day tasks (i.e. sterilizing, bathing, feeding) with parents whose children are at risk or in a broad universal context at various community sites throughout the city. Parents are encouraged to chart their own progress and both Child Development Workers and social work staff offer support and education in a safe, non-threatening environment.

Service and programs within the Child Development Unit include:

Best Start Early Learning and Parenting Centres – Bellview, Notre Dame/Branlyn, Centennial,
Major Ballachey, all in Brantford and St. James Church (Paris)
Community Development
Neighbourhood Family Resource Centre – Stepping Stones (Riverside Neighbourhood) Northland Gardens (Northland Gardens Neighbourhood) and New Beginnings (Eastdale Neighoubrhood)
Patta Cake – Program outreach – Brantford Library
In Home Family Support Program – Offering individualized support, to families with children 0-6, in their home with a vision to rooting them in to their local Early Years Programming
Parent Child Interaction Program – Group program for families with children 0-6 designed to promote healthy parent child attachment and interactions for families experiencing significant challenges with parenting.
Teen Parenting - Group program for young parents and their children that offers an opportunity for learning and support. A meal is offered and shared together and parents may attend a workshop and/or spend time in parent child interactive time.