2023-2024 Highlights

At ErinoakKids, it is our mission to help children and youth with physical, developmental and communication disabilities achieve optimal levels of independence, learning, health and wellbeing. 

Check out some of our 2023/2024 highlights below! 

Autism Services

With an expansion to Halton, one of our most popular programs, Entry to School (ETS) is now available at all three of the main ErinoakKids sites to better serve young children with autism and their families.

The ETS program supports successful transitions into school and focuses on building skills in key areas of development like communication, play, social interaction, pre-academics and more.

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School-Based Rehabilitation Services (SBRS)

"Write-On"
With the launch of the "Write-On" program, parents of children with fine motor challenges can drop in to receive support to help their children thrive!  

Student Placements 
Additionally, this year, 19 post-graduate students were supervised by SBRS professionals across various disciplines. A total of 48 students completed placements at ErinoakKids in 2023/2024. 

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Preschool Speech and Language (PSL)

“Building Blocks” groups of integrated professionals supported the communication and behavioural needs of children and offered clinical teams a chance to share learning and expertise.   

Integrating Speech Language Therapy Assistants (SLTAs) into Entry To School classrooms fostered a language-rich environment for all, addressing speech and language needs directly within the daily routine of young children with autism preparing for kindergarten.  

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Family Engagement and Professional Practice 

Family and stakeholder consultation informed a new vision for the future of Family Engagement at ErinoakKids, including establishing a new, dedicated team led by those with lived experience of the organization. 

Families are critical partners in supporting children and youth to reach their full potential: at ErinoakKids, the voices of parents, caregivers and clients are essential to delivering excellent care.

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Finance

The ErinoakKids finance team continued to support families by diligently processing final payments and reconciliations for individual funding contracts. Refunds were issued to families in a timely manner and the team celebrated another clean audit.

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Infant Hearing Program (IHP) 

Our Infant Hearing Program launched Growing Little Listeners this year to support families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Parents connect, share experiences, and learn from each other; and their children benefit from a comprehensive and collaborative approach to early intervention.

 Positive feedback from families reinforced the importance of empowering parents and fostering a strong support network.

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Collaboration with Peel Police

Through the Peel Police Autism collaborative, new police recruits visited ErinoakKids Brampton weekly to inspire understanding, empathy, and positive connections between law enforcement and our clients with autism. 

The “Reach For It!” program continues to make a profound impact on the lives of children and youth with FASD. Positive relationships between vulnerable young people and law enforcement builds trust and breaks down barriers.

To date, more than 300 Peel Police Officers have participated in these sessions. Families reported that they finally felt their child was seen and heard, while children said the police officers were “not scary.” 

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Organizational Migration to Microsoft 365

Led by the Digital Health team, the migration of all staff to Microsoft 365 marked a significant enhancement in communication and real time collaboration, making operations more agile and responsive to the needs of our families. 

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Staff

All Staff Meeting
Our twice-yearly All Staff (in person) meeting in the spring and fall allowed for celebration, learning and planning. In June 2023, we celebrated 43 staff marking more than 10 years at ErinoakKids!  

People & Culture
The People & Culture team launched two new committees this year: the ErinoakKids Culture Committee and the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) committee! 

The Culture Committee meets regularly to help promote, address, and work on shaping the staff culture here at ErinoakKids. 

The DEI committee has taken charge of fostering a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion at ErinoakKids. They promote and encourage the DEI objectives of our organization and help ensure everyone feels included, respected and supported. 

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Respite

After a short pause, enhanced Respite services at ErinoakKids re-opened gradually in phases through the summer and fall of 2023: fully integrated into the many other services we offer, supported by permanent staff with longer hours of care and added service options, in compliance with the new Quality Standards Framework.

This new service was made possible through the efforts of teams across the organization, from HR to Facilities, to Clinical Services to Decision Support, and would of course not be possible without generosity of our donors.

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Implementation of the IHP Phone Queue and Screening Data Streamlining

The CLASS (Clinical Administrative Support Services) team implemented the Infant Hearing Program (IHP) phone queue, significantly improving the processing of IHP screening data.

This streamlining enabled timely reporting to Newborn Screening Ontario, facilitating early identification and intervention for babies with CMV (cytomegalovirus) and meningitis. 

This team’s commitment to optimizing this process underscores their dedication to providing the best possible care.

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 A Commitment to Sustainability

All three ErinoakKids sites are LEED-certified by the Canada Green Building Council. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an international symbol of sustainability excellence and green building leadership.

Our commitment to keeping our sites healthy, cost-saving and highly efficient continues year after year. This year, our Facilities team furnished all three of our buildings with new LED lighting, switching out 1,000 fluorescent bulbs for new, energy-saving LED bulbs. This change keeps energy costs low across all sites and lowers our carbon footprint.

Brampton now includes an awning in the pavilion that allows clients to play outside deeper into the winter months and keeps sun exposure to a minimum during the summer!  

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