Hastings County Ontario Early Years Child and Family Centres Service Plan
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HASTINGS COUNTY ONTARIO EARLY YEARS CHILD AND FAMILY CENTRES SERVICE PLAN NOVEMBER 2017 Add abstract TABLE OF CONTENTS Message from the Warden of Hastings County ii Introduction 1 Community Engagement Process 3 Needs Assessment in Hastings County 9 Community Identified Needs 18 OEYCFC Implementation 31 Recommendations 34 Conclusions 43 Appendices 44 I. Survey Rack Card 44 II. Anglophone Family Survey 45 III. Francophone Educator Survey 53 IV. Advisory Committee Partners 59 V. Key Community Informants 60 VI. Existing Child and Family Programs 61 VII. Algonquin Inodewiziwin Proposal 70 VIII. Poster for Planting Seeds for Understanding and Change 93 Bibliography 94 i ii INTRODUCTION ONTARIO EARLY YEARS CHILD AND FAMILY CENTRES IN HASTINGS COUNTY The Hastings County Ontario Early Years Child and Family Centres (OEYCFCs) initial service plan builds on the strengths of existing programs and services and further catalyzes strong early years leadership locally. Including children and families at the centre of the approach that was used, Hastings’ plan reflects both the assets and current unique needs of this community, and a commitment to working towards the Ministry of Education’s (MEDU) vision that “Children and families are well supported by a system of responsive, high-quality, accessible and increasingly integrated early years programs and services that contribute to healthy child development today and a stronger future tomorrow.” In February 2016, MEDU announced the consolidation of the four existing provincially-funded child and family programs into one model and branded as Ontario Early Years Child and Family Centres. Currently in Hastings County two of the four child and family programs exist – Ontario Early Years Centres (OEYC) and Child Care Resource Centres (CCRC). OEYCs are located in Belleville, Trenton, and Bancroft, while CCRCs are located in Trenton and Bancroft. Satellite playgroups and widely varied accompanying programs from OEYCs exist in small communities in both north and south Hastings County. There are currently no MEDU funded early years programs in the central part of Hastings County. As the designated Consolidated Municipal Service Manager (CMSM), Hastings County Children’s Services is responsible for leading OEYCFC transformation efforts across 14 member municipalities and a total population of 136,445 people in Hastings County (2016 Census), beginning in 2018. Hastings County is committed to a responsive early years system that fosters inclusive, integrated learning environments for our 9,610 children ages 0-6, and a system that facilitates seamless navigation for families with diverse needs. 1 INTRODUCTION PLANNING TIMELINE IN HASTINGS COUNTY SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2017 FEBRUARY 2016 JUNE-JULY 2017 OEYCFC Service Plan and Ministry of Education Data Collation + Analysis of Journey Together Application Announces Plan to Transform Community Feedback + Submitted to Ministry of Child and Family Programs Development of Service Plan Education APRIL-JUNE 2017 OCTOBER - NOVEMBER FEBRUARY 2017 Community Engagement 2017 Hiring of Data Analysis Sessions + Focus Groups + Coordinator and Community OEYCFC Advisory Committee Request for Proposals and Planner Meetings selection of OEYCFC Lead Service Providers FEBRUARY-MARCH 2017 MARCH-APRIL 2017 JANUARY 1st, 2018 Environmental Scan – Community Survey Transition of Ontario Early Program and Service Distribution and Collection of Years Child and Family Inventory Responses Centres Begins This plan represents a starting point. The OEYCFCs will support all children, parents and caregivers in learning, growing and connecting – together. Hastings County also understands that the OEYCFCs are just part of a larger system of early years support, and acknowledges that the broader early years system transformation and integration will require: Strong leadership from the CMSM Meaningful, sustained community engagement Increased capacity building and training for service providers Coordinated planning and dedicated county-wide partnerships Dedicated funding Rigorous accountability mechanisms Hastings County is dedicated to supporting people and our communities. The research shows that “strong communities provide a vital support to families with young children by encouraging opportunities for optimal early childhood development.” (Dr. Clyde Hertzman, former Director, Human Early Learning Partnership, UBC) The development of Ontario Early Years Child and Family Centres in Hastings County will help to ensure that young children and their families will have the services and supports that they need for optimal development and our communities will be strengthened. 2 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS Hastings County staff have taken a responsive approach to working with various community stakeholders, by adjusting the planning process in relation to the needs and assets present for service providers at any given time, shifting timelines to accommodate better alignment with other provincial and local initiatives, and reducing barriers for parent and family involvement. The community- informed process has been collaborative, communicative, and based on relationship building. The priority is that decision-making is informed by research and evidence-based community feedback and data (anecdotal and/or quantitative). The planning process has been guided by the principles outlined in the MEDU’s Ontario Early Years Child and Family Centres: Planning Guidelines for Service System Managers. The community engagement process was designed to be child and family centred in order to capture and understand the unique needs of children, parents and caregivers, and the needs that were identified informed the proposed plan for OEYCFC programs and services. Parents and caregivers were encouraged to identify what would make an OEYCFC warm and welcoming, high quality and inclusive. Broad consultations with various community services, the five individual school boards in Hastings County, primary care providers as well as the parents and caregivers has ensured an integrated approach to planning. Finally, the process has been community-led: the CMSM, community leaders, educators, parents, and caregivers have been engaged in designing OEYCFC programs and services that embrace and build on community strengths, address identified gaps, and meet the unique needs of people in Hastings County. COMPONENTS The most important sources of data and information about Hastings County came from the people who live here and the service providers and organizations that serve our people. The broad engagement process captured invaluable information from the Hastings County community, which has informed this plan. In Hastings County, there has been a dedicated commitment to understanding community needs as they relate to early years child and family programs. The assessment of these local needs has entailed multiple approaches and sources. At the local level, getting input from a broad cross-section of the community was an essential part of the collaborative approach employed. Stakeholders consulted included: Children Anglophone and Francophone parents, caregivers, and families Indigenous communities Service providers Educators Representatives of school boards Community partners and children’s services organizations 3 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS Hastings’ initial engagement process consisted of six main components: 1. Program and Service Inventory An environmental scan of all early years and family programs was conducted. The data, collected directly from service providers, have been used to map existing programs. 2. Community Surveys Three distinct community surveys were developed and targeted to: Parents/Caregivers/Families of children ages 0-6 Front line staff/educators and managers/directors of 0-6 service providers Kindergarten and Grade 1 educator teams and administrators in schools The parent/caregiver surveys and the educator surveys were available in both French and in English. Surveys were distributed across Hastings County through community partners, at existing early years sites, through schools, social media and Hastings County website, networks of agencies that include early years service providers, and public events. Rack cards with the survey link were widely distributed, including through the main four school boards in Hastings County. (See Appendix I for the rack card, Appendix II for the Anglophone family/caregiver survey, and Appendix III for the Francophone educator survey.) Six $50 grocery gift cards were offered as incentives to parents/caregivers who responded. 3. OEYCFC Initial Service Plan Advisory Committee To support the development of the OEYCFC initial service plan, Hastings County invited key stakeholders to participate on an Advisory Committee. Its role was to advise and/or provide key information to Hastings County Children’s Services to effectively design and implement an initial plan for OEYCFCs in Hastings County. This component of the planning process also ensured that the development of the strategy was collaborative, transparent and shared. More specifically, the focus of Advisory Committee includes but is not limited to the following: Analyzing, understanding, and interpreting data to guide informed decision making Strategizing at a systems level to develop recommendations toward a quality system, while ensuring the interests of individual agencies and associations remained impartial Supporting parents and families to enable their ongoing input and feedback throughout the planning