If you are interested in help for children with special needs, check out this upcoming meeting in Burnaby.
The Ministry of Children and Family Development is briefing parents on a recent review of the Supported Child Development program. The meeting is on Monday, Feb. 13 from 6: 30 to 8: 30 p.m. at the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion.
The program offers kids with a disorder or special needs free support in childcare settings. That could mean money for a daycare to hire extra staff to help kids with Down syndrome or advice on how to make the space more inclusive.
There's an interesting local angle connected to this meeting. Burnaby residents Wendy Seet and Marc Adams were behind the push for this government review. The two went public with their concerns in 2010, and we featured them in the NOW, because they were worried about getting help for their daughter with Down syndrome. Their daughter was eligible for an extra support worker at her daycare through the program, but the wait-list was so long, Marc and Wendy worried she would be out of daycare by the time help arrived.
Marc and Wendy were calling for more government funding, but the minister at the time, Mary Polak, said the goverment would look at how they could do things better.
"The meeting is going to go over the results of the review, and to get input from the families," Wendy said. "I think this is their opportunity to have their say."
To attend, RSVP by calling 604-660-2433. BACI is at 2702 Norland Ave.
For the seniors
The City of Burnaby presented Margaret DouglasMatthews with a certificate for all the work she's done to help local seniors. Margaret is the executive director with Normanna/ Dania/Swedish, a trio of non-profit seniors' homes in Burnaby. The certificate was presented at a Jan. 25 luncheon, where the city also handed over a $7,000 grant to help pay for renovations at the Charles R. Shaw heritage house, a home that belonged to Burnaby's first mayor but is now maintained by Normanna.
Open house
Burnaby's big drop-in centre for youth is holding an open house on Wednesday, Feb. 8 from 2: 30 to 8 p.m. Anyone who would like to check out the Youth Hub is welcome to stop by, said coordinator Janet Goosney.
"We've been open for a year, actually a little bit more than a year, but we're calling it our first anniversary," Goosney said.
People can have a tour or talk to service providers and find out more about what the Hub does. For more information, go to burnabyyouthhub.org.
