Every Child Belongs
Northview Heights Early Learning Centre in North York is committed to providing inclusive early learning and childcare programs that prioritize the health and well-being of every child.
We collaborate with a Resource Consultant from Lumenus Community Services (formerly Adventure Place) for children who need extra support. They assist with developmental screening, program adaptations, and service coordination. We create individualized plans with families and our educators to meet each child's unique needs and support their development. We strive to work closely with families to ensure the best outcomes for their
children.
Our beliefs encourage positive attitudes towards diversity; allow opportunities for people to learn about, understand, and become comfortable with various human differences; and benefit not only children with special needs but also typically developing children, families, teachers, other caregivers, and society in general. The exclusion of individuals based on their physical or intellectual capabilities is discriminatory and segregating. It would open our centre to limiting every person's experience, exposure to, and involvement with an essential portion of our society. Our beliefs regarding integration and inclusion are embedded in all our programs and provide further opportunities for the following:
We feel that it is incumbent upon us to strive towards providing all children with equal access to our educationally based programs in a manner most appropriate to their needs and within the scope of our abilities.
We collaborate with a Resource Consultant from Lumenus Community Services (formerly Adventure Place) for children who need extra support. They assist with developmental screening, program adaptations, and service coordination. We create individualized plans with families and our educators to meet each child's unique needs and support their development. We strive to work closely with families to ensure the best outcomes for their
children.
Our beliefs encourage positive attitudes towards diversity; allow opportunities for people to learn about, understand, and become comfortable with various human differences; and benefit not only children with special needs but also typically developing children, families, teachers, other caregivers, and society in general. The exclusion of individuals based on their physical or intellectual capabilities is discriminatory and segregating. It would open our centre to limiting every person's experience, exposure to, and involvement with an essential portion of our society. Our beliefs regarding integration and inclusion are embedded in all our programs and provide further opportunities for the following:
- Exposure to people with a range of abilities. Acceptance and the formation of relationships and respect for others.
- Participation by every child and family, irrespective of current ability levels, leads to developing self-esteem, confidence, and capability.
- Peer interactions and expectations provide social incentives to implement or use "new" skills and knowledge.
- Teaching educators to become more aware and focused on the strengths and needs of all the children, their teaching style and methods, and the program itself; and
- Enriching our communities through direct experiences with people with diverse strengths and needs.
- As part of our regular screening of each of the children in the centre, the educators use the Looksee as a developmental screening and Early Abilities Speech and Language screening
We feel that it is incumbent upon us to strive towards providing all children with equal access to our educationally based programs in a manner most appropriate to their needs and within the scope of our abilities.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE ACCOMMODATION PROCESS:
The accommodation process is a shared responsibility; section 8.6 (from the OHRC Policy) outlines the families' duties.
- Advise the education provider of the need for accommodation related to a disability.
- Please make accommodation needs known to the best of their ability, preferably in writing, so that the education provider can accommodate them.
- Answer questions or provide information about relevant restrictions or limitations, including information from medical and health care professionals where appropriate and as needed.
- Participate in discussions about possible accommodation solutions.
- Co-operate with any experts whose assistance is required to manage the accommodation process or when information is needed that is unavailable to the student with a disability.
- Meet bona fide academic requirements once accommodation is provided.
- Work with the education provider on an ongoing basis to manage the accommodation process.
- Advise the education provider of difficulties they may be experiencing in accessing educational services, including problems with arranged accommodations. students about disability-related issues.
THE EDUCATION PROVIDER HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO:
The accommodation process is a shared responsibility; section 8.6 (from the OHRC Policy) outlines the organization's responsibilities (childcare, private school, etc.)
- Advise families of available accommodations and support services and how to access these resources.
- Be alert to the possibility that a child may need accommodation even if they have not made a specific or formal request.
- Accept the families'/guardians' request for accommodation in good faith (even when the request does not use any particular formal language) unless there are legitimate reasons for acting otherwise.
- Get expert opinion or advice where needed (but not as a routine matter)
- Take an active role in ensuring that alternative approaches and possible accommodation solutions are investigated and canvass various forms of possible accommodation and alternative solutions.
- Consult with the families to determine the most appropriate accommodation.
- Communicate regularly and effectively with the families, updating the accommodation status and
planning the next steps. - Take steps to include children with disabilities in in-class and extracurricular activities.
- Keep a record of the accommodation requests and actions taken.
- Maximize a child’s right to privacy and confidentiality, including only sharing information about the child’s
disability with those directly involved in the accommodation process. - Limit requests for information to those reasonably related to the nature of the need or limitation and only
to facilitate access to education services. - Implement accommodations promptly, to the point of undue hardship.
- Ensure that the childcare environment is welcoming and that all children respectfully treat one another.
- Take immediate remedial action in situations where bullying and harassment are or may be taking place.
- Educate all educators and placements
