Resources To Assist Parents
To better assist our families, on this page we’ve included various resources that might be useful. This library will continue to grow and we invite you to email us at info@www.starbrightokanagan.ca with interesting links, articles, or any other materials you feel may be worthwhile to be added to this page.
The Central Okanagan Family Hub
The Central Okanagan Family Hub/Province of BC’s Early Year’s Centre, offers a one-stop shop where families and children can drop-in for information or attend a program offered by a network of local agencies that suits their needs, such as early learning programs, or parent and tot drop-ins. The Hub provides referrals to intervention services, health services, social supports such as housing and rental assistance, food security, low cost services/activities and other resources available in the community
Programs that have been offered among others include:
- Storytime
- Tumble Bumble
- Nobody’s Perfect
- Peetigway
- Mothergoose
- Breastfeeding Café
- World Garden
- Special Events
- Bond to literacy
- Lift the Lip
- Post natal wellness
- Japanese Stroytelling
Hub staff will connect parents to the over 300 services currently available to them in the Kelowna area. Throughout the process, hub staff will reduce barriers that inhibit parents from accessing the community support networks. Who do I call? How do I get there? What form do I need to fill out? Do I qualify for a particular service?
While building trusting and meaningful relationships with parents, the Hub will be able to steer participants in the right direction and be a mentor/advocate at each and every step of the process.
Please take a look at their website: http://cofh.ca/
Private Therapy Services
Parents wishing to explore private therapy options while waiting for service at Starbright are welcome to do so. In some cases, private therapy may be covered by extended health plans. Accessing private therapy does not affect your placement on the Starbright waitlist; when you are contacted by Starbright to receive service you may elect to do so.
Locating a Private Therapist
The Central Okanagan Division of Family Practice has an online searchable directory (www.centralokanagan.fetchbc.ca) of local community health resources which includes private therapy services for children.
The following websites may contain additional information:
BC Association of Speech/Language Pathologist and Audiologists http://www.bcaslpa.ca
Physiotherapy Association of BC https://bcphysio.org/
Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists http://www.caot.ca/
Newsletters!
Please take a look at our monthly newsletter.
May 2016 – SPEECH AND LANGUAGE
Free video materials to support parents to understand the importance of early nurturing and the development of the infant and young child! Are you looking for some support on your journey as a parent? You want to do the “right thing”, but maybe you don’t know what that is? Well, parenting is a learned skill. It takes time, patience and help from others to become a confident parent. KidCareCanada has created wonderful videos that support you as a parent, so that you can relax and enjoy your baby. Take a look at their website www.kidcarecanada.org and watch their videos. These videos have been translated into 11 different languages and are captioned for the deaf and hard of hearing, which is also a benefit for those learning English.
iPad Apps!
Click on the link to download a list of terrific iPAD apps for younger children. The list was compiled by our own Speech Language Pathology and Autism teams! iPad Apps
Autism
Looking for some information about autism? There is an excellent BC Government website with a handbook for parents that can answer a lot of your questions! The website: http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/autism/ and the handbook can be found at http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/autism/pdf/autism_handbook_web.pdf.
Here is a wonderful video that speaks so eloquently about Autism!
Connecting with Other Families
The Family Support Institute of BC has a network of over 200 volunteers who support families across the province by sharing experiences and expertise, connecting families with each other, guiding families to supports and services in their regions, facilitating training and educational sessions, and developing relationships so families know they are not alone. Their website is http://www.familysupportbc.com/.
Other Families’ Stories Around the Importance of Early Intervention
Through our membership in the British Columbia Association of Child Development and Intervention, we have had inspiring stories shared with us that we can, in turn, share with you! Click on the links and read about how other parents have sought the support and help of Child Development Centres around the province! If you want to share YOUR story with us, we would be delighted! Simply let the clinician, therapist, or consultant with whom you work know!
http://www.bcacdi.org/#!dylan-powsey/caqc
http://www.bcacdi.org/#!chance-bainard/c1qm7
Looking for Research?
Another wonderful resource is the UBC Human Early Learning Partnership (H.E.L.P.), a collaborative and interdisciplinary research network based at UBC that explores how early environments and experiences have dramatic effects on children’s development. Their website is http://earlylearning.ubc.ca/.
Another research hub is found at the Can Child Centre for Childhood Disability Research located at McMaster’s University. They focus on what will improve the lives of children and youth with disabilities and their families. The website is: http://www.canchild.ca/en/.
Speech and Language Development
We have included some wonderful articles you may find helpful from our Speech and Language department:
http://www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/Articles/The-Importance-of-Gestures.aspx
http://neurosciencenews.com/toys-language-neurodevelopment-3330/
