Ready, Set, Go! Team Receives Award
December 9, 2011
The Bhayana Family Foundation Awards recognizes extraordinary contributions made by agency staff and are awarded by United Way Toronto. Awards are based on peer nominations. The Ready, Set, Go! team from Aisling Discoveries won the Team Achievement award and were honoured at a ceremony hosted by the United Way on December 9th. The wonderful aspect of this team is that it is an integrated conglomerate of staff from Community Support, Child Care Consultation, Infant Child Treatment, Community Intervention and Treatment and Day Treatment staff.
According to the Award Committee, ideals teams –
• Make a significant contribution to the clients they serve and
• Put their team’s objective ahead of individual person gain.
The United Way specifically encouraged cross-departmental teams.
Congratulations to our 2011 Ready, Set, Go! team for your outstanding achievement.
New Mental Health Services Available for Children and Families
November 9, 2011
The provincial Ministry of Children and Youth Services has allocated funding across the province to additional provide mental health services to children, youth and families who are in desperate need of treatment and support. At Aisling Discoveries, we are pleased to offer new services to families on our waiting list through this new funding. We will also be working with the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board to offer priority access to students who need mental health services.
Residence Program Receives Evaluation Grant
October 1, 2011
We are pleased to announce that our agency will be embarking on an evaluation of our long-established residential treatment program. Aisling House operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. It is a co-ed treatment program for children age six to twelve who require out-of-home assessment and treatment for a variety of psychosocial difficulties. A grant from The Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health at The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario will enable us to assess what positive child outcomes and improvements to family functioning are achieved from our program. The evaluation will also help us to make improvements to this intensive treatment program. Our Residence staff are trained in a number of evidence-based interventions and have been key participants in our evaluation of the program.
Another Resounding Success for our 2011 Tournament of Dreams
September 19, 2011
Despite a torrential downpour at our 4th annual golf tournament, the event was a resounding success due to the generosity of our sponsors and donors and the incredible good spirit of our golfers. We had news anchor Ken Shaw on hand to MC our program and Yannick Bisson, star of Murdoch Mysteries as our special guest. Golfers enjoyed the superb venue at Coppinwood. We’d like to thank our many generous donors and sponsors for making our event such a success. Our tournament proceeds will help to support our expanding autism services at Aisling Discoveries.
New Service for Children and Youth with an Autism Spectrum Disorder
August 17, 2011
The Ministry of Children and Youth Services has launched a province wide initiative to assist children and youth to build skills in the areas of communication, behaviour management/emotional regulation, social/interpersonal and daily living, through the use of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) strategies.
Children and youth up to their 18th birthday are eligible for services if they have a confirmed Autism Spectrum diagnosis including Autism/Autistic Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Specified (PDD-NOS), and Asperger’s Disorder. This important new initiative will also provide education to parents and caregivers in a group setting.
Surrey Place Centre, Kerry’s Place Autism Services, Adventure Place, Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre and The Etobicoke Children’s Centre, will be delivering this new service for the Toronto region. This group of agencies will provide skill building programs based on the principles of ABA for children and youth with a confirmed ASD diagnosis.
If you live in the Toronto region contact Surrey Place Centre at 416-925-5141 and ask to speak to the Toronto Autism ABA Services registration. Parents and caregivers can call directly, and/or a professional (such as a Family Physician, Psychiatrist, Developmental Paediatrician, Psychologist, Psychological Associate, Speech-Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker or Nurse) may assist families to make a referral.
Please click here for a printable version of this information
Children Benefit from Unity for Autism Grant
June 1, 2011
We are delighted to report that our gymnasium project in our Autism Service is nearing completion. Thanks to a generous grant from Unity for Autism, all 53 children in our Intensive Behavioural Intervention program have been benefiting from the use of new equipment. We have greatly enhanced our gross motor area for work on motor planning, occupational therapy goals, natural environment teaching goals and play. We have been able to purchase bicycles, swing equipment, balance boards, a basketball hoop, a ‘Movin Sit’ apparatus for each of our six teams and also the required gym matting to ensure the children are safe when using the equipment.
This grant has enabled us to simulate a gymnasium environment so that the children in our program can learn skills to help them transition to school placements.
On behalf of our children, thank you Unity for Autism for adding such fun to their day, while they practice new skills!
Unity for Autism Grant will go a long way to benefit our kids!
December, 2010
The children in our autism program can look forward to much needed gym equipment to augment their intensive therapy at our Centre. A grant from Unity for Autism has been received to help us outfit our current gym space to replicate a small school gymnasium. With the addition of basket ball nets, sports and fitness equipment and safety mats, the children will increase their gross motor skills and experience a smoother transition into the school system.
Unity for Autism is a charitable foundation uniting families affected by autism with heroes across our nation. It is a completely volunteer-based foundation that disperses 99% of funds raised to centres of excellence that provide programs and support to individuals with autism.
At Aisling Discoveries, we feel privileged and honoured to receive funding from Unity for Autism to make a positive difference in the lives of the children we serve.
Collaboration, Adaptation and Innovation: Enhancing Services and Mobilizing Knowledge for Scarborough Families and their Infants
October 2010
We are pleased to introduce the Infant Child Treatment Team’s new ACTION project:
Access & awareness
Cultural collaborations
Treatment
Infants
Outreach
Newcomers & immigrants
Our Infant Child Treatment (ICT) Team at Aisling Discoveries is dedicated to promoting infant mental health.
What is infant mental health?
Over the last ten years, the new field of infant mental health has been growing rapidly. Infant mental health is best understood as being about a baby’s healthy social-emotional development – that is, the development of a baby’s ability to experience, express and regulate emotion, to establish loving, supportive relationships with others and to explore the environment and learn from it (Zero to Three, 2001).
We know that all parents want to provide their babies with love and care and ensure that they raise happy and confident children. We want to support parents as best we can in their parenting hopes and dreams.
The ACTION project
The goal of our ACTION project is to increase awareness of infant mental health and to better understand infant mental health needs in Scarborough.
Over the next year or so, we will be working to strengthen our partnerships with community agencies and culture-specific organizations. We are striving to make our services more accessible to and effective for families from diverse cultural backgrounds.
We would like to enlist the involvement of our community partners and of Scarborough parents in identifying barriers to service for families and babies. We would also like to draw on your expertise in identifying areas of need, gaps in service and strengths to build on. Accordingly, we invite you to participate in a short survey (coming soon) and welcome your feedback. We will also be posting bulletins on the progress of our new ACTION project on our webpage.
For more information contact Leigh Armour at 416-321-5464, x271 or by email at larmour@aislingdiscoveries.on.ca.
2010 Breastfeeding Challenge
October 2, 2010
We all know that breastfeeding is an important component to getting children off to a healthy start. At Aisling Discoveries, we are committed to early intervention and healthy child development. Our Babies Best Start program is actively involved in promoting breastfeeding in their daily work with parents. A global way to spread this important message has been for Babies Best Start to be involved in the annual world-wide Breastfeeding Challenge.
On October 2, 2010 mothers and babies at sites across Canada and worldwide competed in the 2010 Breastfeeding Challenge. In Toronto, 126 moms and 128 hungry infants and toddlers gathered at the Rosedale Heights School of the Arts with family and friends to participate. Another 209 moms and babies participated online, for a total of 335 moms and 337 babies all breastfeeding at the same time.
Toronto tied for First Place in Ontario and Canada, along with Ottawa, for the most children breastfeeding at one time and in one place!
Toronto also tied for 2nd Place Worldwide, along with Ottawa, behind the Netherlands, for the most children breastfeeding at one time and in one place!
Congratulations to the staff and managers at Babies Best Start for participating in this successful event and for advocating for healthy child development!
Family Counselling Program Receives Evaluation Grant
October 01, 2010
On October 1, 2010 the agency received a grant from the Centre of Excellence for Children’s Mental Health to evaluate its Family Counselling Program. Our manager of research and evaluation, Jennifer Puddicombe has worked diligently with the CIT managers and child and family therapists to select appropriate measures and learn how to administer them. Family Counselling is one of our largest programs in the agency and has a long and rich history of serving our community. This evaluation, which is in full swing, will inform us of program outcomes and help us to identify areas that might need changes. We are grateful to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services for providing funding through the Centre of Excellence for Children’s Mental Health to assist in our evaluation.
3rd Annual Tournament of Dreams 2010
September 13 2010
Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre was proud to host our Tournament of Dreams on Monday, September 13th, 2010 at the beautiful Scarboro Golf and Country Club. We were delighted to have Yannick Bisson, star of CityTV's The Murdoch Mysteries, host our event. We’d like to thank our many generous donors and sponsors for making our event such a success. 2010 Tournament proceeds will be used to upgrade and support Aisling House, our residential treatment program for children who have serious emotional and behavioural problems. For more information about how you can support this event in 2011, contact Helen Correia at 416-321-5464, ext. 253 or hcorreia@aislingdiscoveries.on.ca.
Aisling Discoveries TPAS Green Program
July 7, 2010
The Centre’s TPAS program site has achieved LEED Canada Silver rating from The Canada Green Building Council. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Canada Rating Systems encourage and facilitate the development of more sustainable buildings. We worked in partnership with our project management firm, Green Reason and our design firm, Kirsh and Associates to achieve this wonderful recognition. The goal of our project was to achieve a healthy environment for the children in our autism program and for our staff who work with them. We continue to have an active Green Committee at the site that will ensure that we maintain a clean, green place for children and staff to thrive.
TPAS Family Day
June 12, 2010
On June 12 I attended Family Day at our Autism Program, where over a hundred people were gathered. Our Middlefield site was transformed into a carnival – with face painting, pizza and games. Although there was a downpour of rain, the facilities at Middlefield provide ample room for all of the activities. Again, this is a group effort on the part of our TPAS staff who tool time out of their weekend to give our kids a great time. Thanks to all who were involved in this great event!
Babies Best Start Picnic
June 2, 2010
It is always incredible to see the hundreds of young children and parents come out to the BBS picnic each year. The staff and managers in the program do a fabulous job of making it a fun filled day for their families. They gather donations, recruit volunteers and plan a menu and program leading up to the event and then work from early morning to late afternoon on the day of the event, ensuring that everyone gets fed and has their needs met. Again this year, we had a great group of students from Mr. Beer’s class at Maplewood Secondary School cooking and serving hot dogs and hamburgers. Thanks to all of the staff for creating a wonderful day for our families.
Centre's Autism Centre Aims to Be Friendly to the Environment
January 5, 2010
It has been a year since we moved our Autism Services into its new site at 120 Middlefield Road. At the site, we provide intensive behavioural intervention and a school-stream program for children with autistic disorder or an autism spectrum disorder. Associated services are also provided, including child and family support and transition services. In our commitment to provide a healthy environment for our children and staff, Aisling Discoveries included features that reduce energy requirements, improves the quality of the indoor environment and incorporates sustainable planning strategies. We are pleased that our Autism Services have been consolidated under one roof with sufficient space for therapy, gross motor activities and parent meetings. We’d like to share the benefits and accomplishments of our environmental efforts by providing our Case Study of the process we undertook to create a healthy space for the children and families that we support.
New Home for Centre's Autism Services
January 5 2009
The new site for our Autism Services opened its doors to children on January 5, 2009. We provide intensive behavioural intervention and a school-stream program for children with autistic disorder or an autism spectrum disorder. Associated services are also provided, including child and family support and transition services. We are pleased that our Autism Services will be consolidated under one roof with sufficient space for therapy, gross motor activities and parent meetings. The program is located at 120 Middlefield Road, near McCowan and Sheppard.
Growing Healthy Together Moves to Aisling Discoveries
December 10 2008
We are pleased to announce that Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre has been selected as the new sponsor of Scarborough’s Growing Healthy Together Prenatal Program. This program is part of the federal government’s Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program. The program offers prenatal teaching, nutrition information, food supplements and support to pregnant women experiencing a variety of risk factors linked to low birth weight, including low income, newcomer status, poor nutrition, etc. The program is designed to encourage healthy pregnancies, to reduce the number of infants born with low birth weight, and to support breastfeeding and positive parenting. Currently there are seven programs, offered weekly at six sites, in the Scarborough area - Warden Woods, Bridlewood, Cedarbrae, Corvette, Malvern, Morningside. The program is overseen by an active Community Steering Committee comprised of organizations committed to the goals of the program. Working with moms during the prenatal period will provide us with an ideal opportunity to promote the healthy development of children and families.
Community Priorities Fund Creates Additional Service to Children and Families
June 25 2008
The Ministry of Children and Youth Services has been issuing a call for proposals during the past few years, to address community priorities in the area of Children’s Mental Health. This year, the Ministry approved a plan that was submitted by the East Quadrant Children’s Services Network which included additional services to be provided by Aisling Discoveries. Songs, Rhymes and More is a joint program of our Infant Child Treatment (ICT) team and Babies Best Start. It is a group aimed at caregivers with limited English and their young children. We will be able to deliver 2 groups this year with this additional funding. Community Priority Funds will also be used for specialized family assessments that will be conducted by the ICT team to help guide the treatment process. Aisling Discoveries will also participate in an expansion of East Metro Youth Services’ Whatever It Takes (WIT) program. WIT provides intensive case management for children and youth with complex needs. A child and family therapist from our agency will provide this service in collaboration with the WIT team at East Metro Youth Services, while remaining a staff of our agency.
United Way Membership Renewal
May 7 2008
We are pleased to announce that our agency’s membership has been renewed for a period of three years – from 2008 to 2010! With this renewal, we will be able to continue our work in various homeless shelters (Helping Hands Program) and schools affiliated with the shelters (Helping Hands at School Program) and continue the community development and parenting programs we provide in high priority neighbourhoods (Community Parents Count Program). We are very grateful to the United Way for providing additional funds to continue the Kid Builder groups. These groups aim to increase the resiliency of children living in homeless shelters by guiding them to feel hope for a brighter future.
Raising Public Awareness About Autism
April 25 2008
Aisling Discoveries staff from our Toronto Partnership for Autism Services (TPAS) program once again participated in a number of events to raise public awareness of autism. Today, staff hosted a “Toonies for Autism” campaign in the lobby of our building and raised over $400 from generous tenants at 325 Milner Avenue in support of Autism Ontario’s public education efforts. The children in our autism program participated in special events and numerous staff plan to participate in Autism Speaks’ Walk Now for Autism event on June 8. It was great to see so many children and staff dressed in orange and purple to reflect the colours of Autism Ontario on April 25!
10th Anniversary for Aisling Discoveries
January 1 2008
The year 2008 marks Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre’s 10th Anniversary
year! We have much to celebrate since our inception in 1998. Our Centre has experienced a great deal of growth to meet new and emerging needs in east Toronto, while continuing to deliver programs to children and families that are rooted in the rich legacy passed on to us from our predecessor agencies, Discoveries Child and Family Centre and Aisling Centre for Children and Families. Watch for our special celebration in June 2008.
More Children to Receive Autism Service
September 18, 2007
As part of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services’ recent announcement of expansion of autism services for children, Aisling Discoveries will be providing intensive behavioural intervention to 8 more children by the end of 2007. We are currently hiring new staff and setting up a new centre-based program. We have seen our autism program grow from one to six teams over the course of six years. This speaks to the great need for this service, but it also speaks to the great work done by our staff in developing this program during the past several years.
First Group of Fathers Complete the Dads’ Connection Program
September 18, 2007
The Dads’ Connection is a new program that works with fathers who have been involved in domestic violence. The program helps dads to improve their parenting by teaching them about the harmful effect that family violence can have on their young children. We recently completed our first group series and initial feedback from the group participants indicate that the dads found the program very helpful.
Building parenting skills
September 7, 2007
We are pleased to announce that Aisling Discoveries will be delivering 6 additional groups that will assist parents in dealing with issues such as family violence, attention deficit disorder, anger and aggression and parent/infant relationships. Funding has been received from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services’ Community Priorities Fund.
