Best Start Workgroup

Meeting Notes

March 10, 2016

Present:Margaret Fancy (EKIOC), Maxine Weber (co-chair) LCP in L&G, Brent Dalgleish (co-chair) CMHLG, Mary Jane Kohler (NGCPLC), Peter LeClair (BDACI), Diane Birtch (ICDP), Catherine Robinson (Language Express), Marci Bruyere (CRCHC), Renata Dekeyser (Southeast Autism-LCP in L&G), Gillian Jackson (DSLG), Francine Raymond (CECCE), Nathalie Daoust (MEDU), Ann Stocks (CDC), Michaela Callaghan (FCSLLG), Lynda Earl (recorder – LGLD Health Unit)

Guest:Lois Dewey – Healthy Communities Partnership LGL

1.0Welcome and Introductions

2.0Approval of Agenda – approved

3.0Approval of Meeting Notes – February 11, 2016- approved

4.0Action Arising

a)Members to send revisions to Referral Pathways to Cailin at the Health Unit

b)Margaret to circulate workplan for feedback (2nd part of the meeting)

c)Members to identify staff to attend WTK training on March 10th– list is basically completed

5.0Presentation: Nature 4Life Resources – Lois Dewey

Children Connected With Nature Are:

Happier: Outdoor nature play improves mood, self-esteem, cooperation and reduces stress, anxiety and depression.

Healthier: Nature play improves how kids’ bodies develop and grow. They become stronger and more coordinated, have better balance, and are more active.

Learning: Adventurous nature play allows kids to be more creative, learn to solve problems and manage risk. They have better focus and attention, so they are better learners at school.

What can we do – open the door and go outside! Prescribe Vitamin “N” (N for nature)

For more resources

Margaret shared resources:

  • Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines – for early years 0-4 years; for children 5-11 yrs; for youth 12-17 yrs

6.0Reports:

  • Ministry of Education – Nathalie

Nathalie gave an overview of the Ontario Early Years Child and Family Centres

New regulation phase 2 consultation

Website: https:

  • Report from French Language Network (Cathy)

The French Language Regional Network has provided $500 to support the development of a French Read to Every Kid program.

5 books will be chosen with the help of the Early Literacy Specialist in SDG.

Francine Raymond offered to assist with translation of posters and other resources.

There will be outreach to groups like Club Champlain to secure sustainable funding.

  • Coordinator’s Report (Margaret)

1) Announcement on Transformation of Early Years Services (see below)

Today (Feb. 19), AMO’s President Gary McNamara joined Premier Wynne, Deputy Premier Deb Mathews, and the Minister of Education Liz Sandals as the Province announced a new approach to transform child and family programs through the creation of Ontario Early Years Child and Family Centres. These hubs are currently known as Best Start Child and Family Centres. The centres are intended to offer parents and children a range of early year’s programs, as well as local community services.

As part of the transformation, the Province is combining four child and family programs into one set of integrated services. These programs are:

  • Ontario Early Years Centres
  • Parenting and Family Literacy Centres
  • Child Care Resources Centres
  • Better Beginnings, Better Futures.

Some municipal governments and District Social Services Administration Boards have responsibility to deliver some of these programs. Further, all municipal service system managers play a leading role in local early years’ service planning which includes these programs.

Today’s announcement is noteworthy for the municipal sector as it stated that municipal governments and District Social Services Administration Boards, that are already managing child care, will be transferred management responsibility for the delivery of programs and core services of Ontario Early Years Child and Family Centres by 2018. The provincial government has committed that it will maintain its current investment in child and family programs and will develop a new transparent and responsive funding approach that will redistribute funding by 2018. AMO expects that the ongoing program costs will be 100% funded by the Province and not constitute a new cost-shared program.

Going forward, the Ministry of Education will work collaboratively with municipal governments, District Social Service Administration Boards, and the early year’s sector to facilitate this transformation in a way that works best for the children and families of communities across the diversity of Ontario. Enabling flexibility to meet local community needs will be the key to achieving best results and outcomes for residents. AMO will be involved in representing the municipal interest to make sure that appropriate governance and funding arrangements are put into place. Further details are found in the Ontario government News Release "Improving Access to Services for Young Children and Their Families", and the document "Ontario Early Years Child and Family Centres: A Public Plan."

2) Poverty Reduction Alliance – Meeting January 27th

Learning Bond

Agreement to partner with Smart Saver (will provide urn, give back $25 per sign up, provide data, and will help set up community events, work with banks).

Data

Alison presented overview on face of poverty in LG

BIG Push (Liz Huff)

Liz talked about the impact of spreading message about BIG (basic income guarantee). Putting information in local businesses etc. is creating a buy in. Need to emphasize economic benefits.

Training with Poverty Lens

I will follow up with Renfrew Poverty Roundtable about possible speakers. Members will review online information about the tool.

Poverty Reduction Fund Grant application

Alison Tutak suggested that we be poised for this grant opportunity. There was only one submission from Eastern Ontario in the last round.

Next meeting – March 23rd, 9:30 -11:30 am UCLG

3) Support for Mental Health Transformation – I have been participating in the teleconferences related to family and youth engagement.

Family Engagement consultants will be held:

March 2nd, 7 pm Lombardy

March 3rd, 2:30 pm Front Avenue Resource Centre

March 3rd, 6:30 pm Carleton Place High School

4) Transportation Committee – Beth Steel has been contracted to do the work. Priorities will include:

  • Communication strategies (working with Health Unit team)
  • Rideau Lakes transportation system proposal and business plan
  • 211 set up as triage and single point of contact for transportation in L&G
  • Approaching other areas for transportation system development – e.g. Cardinal, Prescott and Augusta (as they have shown interest)

I will be meeting with LHIN representative to discuss how we might work together.

Beth will work out of EEC

Update -- I had a productive telephone meeting with the Transportation coordinator for SE LHIN. He identified opportunities for partnership that I passed on to Beth.

Beth will attend Rural Ontario Institute Transportation Summit in Sutton on March 29.

5) Triple P – January 28

The committee discussed the need to determine training needs in Leeds-Grenville. Do we need more Level 4 and 5 training to address referrals? There was also a discussion about who needs to participate regularly at the Triple P table to ensure coordinated planning. Service navigation for Triple P needs to be explored. Funding requests will come to March Lead Table. I will distribute information about training opportunities.

Meeting February 25th,a list of practitioners currently trained in Triple P will be sent out for review. Training plan will be revised to identify strategies to support practitioners who aren’t currently using Triple P. Triple P will be a standing item on all EKIOC workgroup agendas.

6) Building Capacity Trillium Grant – (From survey preamble) The Volunteer Centre St Lawrence-Rideauand its partners,Every Kid in our Communities,The Employment and Education Centre,RNJ Youth ServicesandGirls Incorporated of Upper Canadaare working together to submit a proposal to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for acapacity building project for the not-for-profit organizationswithin Leeds and Grenville . We know that all not-for-profit organizations providing servicein Leeds and Grenville have their own strengths, resources and challenges. A number of member agencies, particularly smaller not-for-profits have regularly expressed the need for collective training and support.
We ask that you complete this brief survey to assist in prioritizing the development of supportsthat can be offered to enable the building of organizational capacity

Update --Meeting February 29 to review application

7) Developmental Assets (January 11) (Tawnya Boileau)

The group made plans for recognition of Community Asset Builders on May 1 at Healthy Kids Day. Advertising will go out March 1.

There was a broad discussion about the purpose of the workgroup and next steps.

Should group change its name to reflect emphasis on resiliency? Should we be revisiting community workshops to build awareness and understanding of resiliency traits?

There was agreement that we need to keep current on research related to resiliency and developing a common language for building resiliency. Recognition is one part of mandate, building awareness another.

Update Meeting February 22 – The call for nominations process for applications and media release were reviewed.

There was discussion about the components of work plan. Members agreed that it is time to provide some PD on assets/resiliency. There was support for bringing in a keynote like Wayne Hammond but also ensuring there were some “grassroots” conversations about how to support at organizational and community levels.

8) Children’s Librarian Networking – March 30

A day focusing on the Early Years has been organized for those involved in children’s library programming across Leeds-Grenville. Agenda will include:

Ready for Kindergarten presentation – North Grenville library

WTK presentation – Cathy Empey

Discussion on Read to Every Kid –

MAPsacks – Vicki Stevenson Rideau Lakes library

NDDS – Health Unit

Triple P – Cailin

Sharing of Best Practices

9) Community Hubs – Update from Karen Pitre

Hubs mentioned in the Ontario budget. Specifically:

  • Building local capacity by investing in a resource network for community partners, including an interactive and online resource centre to provide access to information, best practices and data for community organizations; and
  • Continuing to advance the recommendations regarding school priorities to support continued community use, including introducing changes that will allow greater opportunity to parties interested in acquiring or leasing surplus schools.

Priorities for March

WTK training

Learn more about youth issues in SG

Explore use of Common Assessment Tool (CANS)

Continue to revisit plan for service coordination with community partners

Plan for adult allies workshop and community presentations

Meetings

March 23 – Poverty Alliance, 9:30 a.m. UCLG

March 23 – Community Advisory Committee CMHLG, 11 a.m. Frankville

March 24 – Triple P

March 29 – Rural Transportation Summit Sutton Ontario

March 30 – Children’s Librarian Networking, 10 a.m. Brockville Library

March 30 – Community Mental Health Town Hall Meeting, 12 to 1:30p.m. Frankville

April 1 –Coordinating and Planning Committee, 9:30 a.m. Health Unit

April 4 – Youth Service Providers, 2p.m.

April 6 – Lead Table, 9:30 a.m. UCDSB

May 1 – Hold the Date for Recognition of Asset Builders

  • Triple P

Part II – Planning

7.0Healthy Development

a)Review of updates to Pathway Chart (Cailin and Alexis) – defer until next meeting

b)Solidifying our Plan for Promoting NDDS

8.0WTK Training/Organization

Cathy Empey - Welcome to Kindergarten Mission Statement – “The Welcome to Kindergarten Program brings together families, school and community agencies to support children as they enter school. The goal is to share strategies and resources that make early learning through play a priority in the home and support children in a successful transition to school.”

  • New core program resources: New WTK Motto, New Key Messages, WTK Parent Page
  • Reviewed what is included the WTK bag
  • WTK Apps for tablets
  • eLearning 2015-2016 – WTK eLearning Course and all documents and resources are accessed through TLP website; videos on each centre, posters, evites, Guidelines for Use of the WTK Resources with activities for each centre, poster sets for each centre, planning frameworks

Ontario Early Years – Child and Family Centres (overview) – PowerPoint presentation

  • Four provincially funded child and family programs
  • Ontario Early Years Centres (OEYCs)
  • Parenting and Family Literacy Centres (PFLCs)
  • Child Care Resource Centres (CCRCs)
  • Better Beginnings, Better Futures (BBBFs)
  • By 2018, EDU-funded child and family programs will be integrated into a single, cohesive system of Ontario Early Years Child and Family Centres
  • Role of Partners – local planning will take time and ongoing, meaningful collaboration with many partners, including: school boards, public health, service delivery agencies, community planning tables, First Nations and urban Aboriginal organizations, Francophone partners, and parent/caregivers
  • More information is available on the ministry’s website at:
  • 4 modules
  • Translated into different languages
  • Takes about an hour to go through the modules
  • Recommendation to give the bag out at the beginning of the evening and not at the end at WTK nights
  • Maxine reviewed the best practice and tips for educators and community partners
  • Make initial contact with the school and explain that they are they to support the school in and offer help in the planning
  • Arrive early
  • Remind them how you need to connect with the families as this is an important piece
  • Give and provide feedback with your school afterwards

9.0 Date of Next Meeting

April 14, 2016

1:30 pm