Our Child development program

The Child Development Program provides an early childhood learning environment that addresses the social, emotional, cognitive, language and physical needs of each child. The Youville Early Childhood Education Program provides the best possible start in the lives of our infants and toddlers. Early intervention and prevention are program goals that can decrease the demand for treatment and child protection at a later age.

Cathy is our Child Development Program Coordinator; her assistant is Tracey.

Professional development for staff is on-going. Monthly presentations or in-services keep our staff up-to-date in areas of importance: workplace health and safety; childcare safety and security; confidentiality; documentation; risk factors for parents and their children; parenting; peri-natal care; revisions to the Day Nurseries Act; and program development. Last Fall our Program Coordinator and Assistant received training and qualifications to deliver an evidence-based parenting program called Me, My Baby, Our World. This program will be introduced to our mothers as part of their parenting curriculum and we are hoping to have all of our Early Childhood Educators receive this training. Several of our ECE staff are involved in the delivery of parenting sessions which are a part of the curriculum for our Moms.

Our Centre continues to be a placement site for students in ECE programs attending Algonquin, La Cité and Heritage Colleges. In partnership with Algonquin College and the Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre, we will begin to accept placement students from a one-year Ontario Certificate Program to train Inuit Early Education assistants.

Our childcare program serves 40 infants (ages 2 – 18 months) and 15 toddlers (ages 18 – 30 months). We employ 15 full-time childcare staff. Program Assistants, kitchen, cleaning and clerical personnel are included in the Child Development Program area. Ryan, Agathe, Christina, Kim and Ashley are the lead teachers in our Child Development Program and assist the Program Coordinator. Tracey continues to co-facilitate weekly Parenting courses for our young mothers. She also oversees intake and discharge of children and mothers and navigates the subsidy process for our clients. We are grateful to community partners who continue to assist us and support our young families: Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre, CHEO, Children’s Integrated Support Services, Ottawa Public Health Department through Healthy Babies, Healthy Children, First Words Clinics and Dental Screening programs. Our Childcare services are stronger because of these effective partnerships.