Early Years Support Services Registry

If you are a parent caring for a child with a severe disability, you may be eligible to receive financial support through the Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities Program. This program provides financial support for low- to moderate-income families to cover some of the extra costs of caring for a child who has a severe disability.

York Region helps make child care more affordable for families with low and moderate incomes. A child care fee subsidy helps reduce the amount of money that families have to pay licensed child care providers for child(ren) under the age of 13. This is a first-come-first-served program.

Priority is given to:

• Families with a net income of $36,000 or less
• Families who may be experiencing exceptional circumstances

Provides leadership in Learning Disabilities advocacy, research, education and services and strives to advance the full participation of children, youth and adults with Learning Disabilities (LD) in society.

EarlyON Child and Family Centres offer a range of free drop-in programs for children from birth to age six and their parents and caregivers. Programs encourage positive interactions with children and provide families with information regarding early learning and child development.

Available Services:

• Early learning and development programs and services that encourage children’s exploration, and promote play and inquiry
• Programs to support parents and caregivers of children in all aspects of early child development
• Information and workshops for new parents about pregnancy and parenting
• Information about other early years programs in the community
• Resource and lending libraries

Parents can get breastfeeding support and instruction at any of York Region’s breastfeeding clinics. Sessions are one-to-one with a nurse who has breastfeeding expertise. Families can call Health Connection at 1-800-361-5653 to make a booked appointment at the Breastfeeding Clinic. Services are free of charge and open to all York Region residents.

A maternal and child health home visiting program that provides a first-time mom valuable knowledge and support from pregnancy to when her child reaches two years of age. NFP is an evidence-based, community health program with three decades of research proving its effectiveness.

Client eligibility criteria for the NFP program are:

• Twenty-four years of age or younger
• First time mother
• Twenty-eight weeks gestation or earlier in pregnancy
• Experiencing financial hardship

Please note, if clients do not meet the above eligibility criteria, they can be referred to the Healthy Babies Healthy Children (HBHC) program. Given the specifics of NFP eligibility, we encourage our community partners to make referrals to NFP with clients or on behalf of client (with client consent), to avoid any delays in the referral process, as consent to NFP program involvement needs to occur on the initial HV with the NFP PHN, prior to 28 weeks gestation. Professionals supporting the referral process may prevent delays in the referral process, since enrollment into NFP is time sensitive (maternal age, and weeks’ gestation).

A home visiting program offered by York Region Public Health. Healthy Babies Healthy Children provides eligible families with information, support and connections to community resources.

A program offered to mothers with babies up to one year of age and pregnant women who are experiencing mood changes, including anxiety or depression, or are looking for support while adjusting to parenthood. This program provides information, support and resources to help women cope and feel better and is led by public health nurses who cover topics like:

• Symptoms and risk factors of perinatal mood disorders
• Setting realistic expectations
• Building healthy relationships
• Tips for healthy communication
• Strategies to build self-esteem
• Ways to take time for self-care
• Community resources and support

Bounce Back and Thrive! (BBT) is a ten-week skills training course to teach parents and caregivers with children under eight years of age about coping with stress. Participants learn skills to help themselves and children feel less stressed and more hopeful about the future.

Watch Wait and Wonder is an intervention that works directly and immediately with the infant/child parent relationship to foster the development of a secure attachment through empowering the infant in the therapy and enhancing maternal sensitivity and responsiveness.