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EarlyON Centres in Simcoe County have ballooned from 20 locations last year to 33 this year county-wide. There is one in Bradford West Gwillimbury

Prym Wanless, two, plays with toy cars in the playroom of the EarlyON Centre in Barrie.

Janet Barbon, who brings her granddaughter Prym to the centre regularly, says she notices a marked difference in Prym’s behaviour since she started bringing her to socialize with other kids.

“I was worried about her,” said Barbon. “But now, she talks more, she is more social, and she actually tells me she wants to come here.”

According to Lora D’Ambrosio, manager of early learning and child care with the County of Simcoe, some of the benefits of early socialization of infants and toddlers can include reaching development milestones earlier, developing language skills and encouraging physical play-based inquiry.

EarlyON Centres across Simcoe County offer a wide variety of services for moms and dads with kids aged newborns to five to help young kids reach those milestones. There are 900 locations across the province, and the program is completely free.

There are main sites in Bradford West Gwillimbury, Barrie, Orillia, Collingwood, as well as in some surrounding municipalities.

“(Kids who participate) are more inquisitive. They learn to get along with adults and children in a younger environment,” she said. “It’s also for the families that are attending. We find that they’re gaining a lot of confidence and knowledge that also supports their roles as parents."

Once kids who participate in early socialization hit kindergarten, the effects can be even more pronounced.

“They tend to be more confident and independent if they’ve had early learning opportunities,” said D’Ambrosio.

The EarlyON program, funded by the provincial government, is intended to offer free drop-in programs for children up to six years old and their caregivers. Early-years professionals provide support, advice and resources, and can provide information and referrals to specialized programs and services within the community if needed.

Patricia Whibley brings her two daughters, Victoria, nine months and Emily, two, to different EarlyON Centre locations, depending on what programming is available on what days.

“When I was at RVH after I had just delivered (Emily), I was having problems with the latch. One of the nurses came in and she told me about the breastfeeding support group that runs here on Wednesdays between 1 and 2:30 p.m. So, I started coming to the centre for the support group,” said Whibley.

“It was later that I learned about the facility. I had no idea about the services.”

Whibley mentions a plethora of other programs she’s participated in since then, including parenting classes, meeting with speech and hearing pathologists, dietitians, occupational therapists and participating in sensory programs with her kids.

“In fact, we’re on our way right now to go see the speech pathologist. We signed up through Simcoe Community Services. I was a little concerned. I got a call last week and there was an opening.

“The programs are amazing and everyone here is phenomenal,” Whitbley said with a laugh.

Whitbley said she was shocked to discover that, on top of everything else, all the services are free.

“You get out of the house, you get that bonding time and you’re also making friends,” she said.

In Simcoe County, there are nine main sites with six-day-a-week programming and over 30 satellite locations, including some Francophone options.

“Our main goal is that eventually, we will have something in every municipality,” said D’Ambrosio.

One of the keys to the program’s success has been relationships with local community partners.

“(For example), we have New Path (Youth and Family Counselling Services) coming in to do early mental health consultation,” said Michele Kapteyn, Simcoe Community Services preschool manager.

Kapetyn could not say enough about how hard her team works to provide a great experience for any family that chooses to avail themselves of the EarlyON services.

“I love managing the programs and building capacity in the team. I want them to be just as passionate about it as our whole agency is,” said Kapteyn. “Providing excellent services is really, really important to us. My joy comes from being able to support a team of individuals who are just incredible.”

While Simcoe Community Services is happy the program has continued to grow this year, there are some concerns about resources.

“Our hope is that, our funding will continue to grow with it,” said Claudine Cousins, CEO of Simcoe Community Services. “That’s where the biggest gap is. The need is so great, and people enjoy coming here. Families love what they get.”

EarlyON Centres accept monetary and in-kind donations. For more information on how to make a donation, click here.

To find an EarlyON location near you and to learn more about available programming, click here.


Jessica Owen

About the Author: Jessica Owen

Jessica Owen is an experienced journalist working for Village Media since 2018, primarily covering Collingwood and education.
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