KidsAbility Centre for Child Development
500 Hallmark Drive N2K 3P5 Waterloo, ON, Canada

It’s #NationalVolunteerWeek a time set aside to recognize the incredible contribution volunteers make in our communities. Each year, amazing volunteers give their time, talents and heart to help make a difference at KidsAbility. To all of our volunteers thank you for your support, dedication and commitment we couldn’t do it without you!

A great big thank you to Strassburger Windows and Doors for soaring high with us as a Universe Sponsor for this year's #KidsAbilitySuperheroChallenge! To learn more or register today, please visit kidsabilitysuperherochallenge.com

Get creative, head outside, and join the Chalk Challenge! From April 19-26 the City of Waterloo is encouraging neighbours to spread some cheer and beautify their neighbourhoods with sidewalk chalk. Be sure to snap photos of your artwork/artwork you enjoy nearby and share them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. #ChalkChallenge

A great big thank you to McCarter Grespan Lawyers for soaring high with us as a Universe Sponsor for this year's #KidsAbilitySuperheroChallenge! To learn more or register today, please visit kidsabilitysuperherochallenge.com

Soar high, stay safe and participate at your own pace during this year's KidsAbility Superhero Challenge presented by Linamar Corporation. Learn more and register today at kidsabilitysuperherochallenge.com. Video generously created by kienofilms.com.

The Ontario budget directly supports KidsAbility Centre for Child Development children and youth like 15-year-old Claire. Thank you Ontario Government and Ontario Community and Social Services for investing in children, youth and families. #onpoli #ONbudget #EmpoweredKidsON

The Black Town Hall planning committee, in partnership with the Region of Waterloo is hosting a Covid-19 Q&A session. During this session, a panel of health care professionals will answer your questions from the community about the COVID-19 vaccines. You are invited to submit your questions about:... - Covid-19 vaccine development and approval - Vaccine safety - Vaccine side effects Health care professionals from the Black community will address your Covid-19 and vaccination questions: - Dr. Akwatu Khenti: Special Advisor to the City of Toronto's Targeted COVID Equity Action Plan - Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman: Allergy lead in the Special Immunization Clinic at the McMaster Children’s Hospital - Dr. Isaac Odame: Haematology Section Head in the Division of Haematology/Oncology - Michaelina Nartey: OCP Part A Certified Pharmacist in Cambridge Register online for this free event.

Check out our new Spring 2021 edition! --> tinyurl.com/2rb2ddh4

You’re Invited! TD Wealth presents a Virtual Culinary Evening in Support of KidsAbility. Wednesday, April 21, 2021 | 5:00pm - 7:30pm... $125 (Serves 2) Includes ingredients, live instruction and your donation to KidsAbility Foundation. How to Participate: 1. Make your minimum donation of $35 (tinyurl.com/5h3csxsy) 2. Register for the event - $90 + HST (tinyurl.com/8cajjr56) A ZOOM link will be sent closer to the event date. For all event details please visit tinyurl.com/8cajjr56.

*********************************************************************** Update: Registration for summer camps will open Monday, April 12. *********************************************************************** Registration for summer camps at KidsAbility Centre for Child Development opens next week on Monday, April 12. Although we had hoped to be able to open registration today, we are still working through a few steps to make sure that our online registration is ready for yo...u. KidsAbility is excited to be able to offer Firefly Friends Camp this summer and will be following all of our strict health and safety measures and protocols. Camp groups will be smaller this year and offered at our Waterloo site. If we need to cancel camps based on Public Health directives, full refunds will be issued at that time. Summer 2021 Camp Weeks: Monday, July 5 to Friday, July 9 | 9am-4pm Monday, July 12 to Friday, July 16 | 9am-4pm Monday, July 19 to Friday, July 23 | 9am-4pm Monday, July 26 to Friday, July 30 | 9am-4pm Monday, August 9 to Friday, August 13 | 9am-4pm Monday, August 16 to Friday, August 20 | 9am-4pm Monday, August 23 to Friday, August 27 | 9am-4pm Cost Eligibility & Location: $550/week 4 to 12 years of age KidsAbility - Waterloo (this will be the only location in which we are able to offer camps this year, but is open to everyone, regardless of where you live). Registration: Registration for Firefly Friends Camp opens on Wednesday, April 7 through the KidsAbility Events Calendar. You can search by month to find the week that you are interested in, create a family profile and register all in one place. We are putting the final touches on our online registration portal that you will be able to access through kidsability.ca/calendar. It isn't live right now, but it will be next week. Registration will be done through KidsAbility now and no longer available through fireflytherapy.ca. Thank you for your patience!

April 2 marks World Autism Day to celebrate the individuals in our lives with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). No two individuals with ASD are the same but the one thing that everyone with ASD has in common is the right to be accepted and valued for who they are. At KidsAbility, we celebrate everyone today and the other 364 days of the year with ASD. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your journey. We have many resources to support individuals with ASD or those support...ing people with ASD from answers to frequently asked questions, how to find services or start the journey to a potential diagnosis, resources and more: https://kidsability.ca/resources-handouts Today, we wear every colour on the spectrum to honour and celebrate everyone with ASD and the unique differences that make them wonderful. Happy World Autism Day from our KidsAbility family to yours! #WorldAutismDay2021 #WorldAutismDay #AutismAcceptanceMonth

From all of us at KidsAbility, we want to wish you the most enjoyable long weekend! Be happy, stay healthy, and most of all, have fun! Just a reminder that all KidsAbility sites will be closed Friday and Monday and will reopen on Tuesday, April 6.

Idea Exchange now has a collection of iPads for members to check out on a three-week loan. Contact staff via email, phone, or during pick-up to ask about adding your name to the holds list: ideaexchange.org/contact

Registration for summer camps at KidsAbility Centre for Child Development opens next week on Wednesday, April 7! KidsAbility is excited to be able to offer Firefly Friends Camp this summer and will be following all of our strict health and safety measures and protocols. Camp groups will be smaller this year and offered at our Waterloo site. Summer 2021 Camp Weeks:... Monday, July 5 to Friday, July 9 | 9am-4pm Monday, July 12 to Friday, July 16 | 9am-4pm Monday, July 19 to Friday, July 23 | 9am-4pm Monday, July 26 to Friday, July 30 | 9am-4pm Monday, August 9 to Friday, August 13 | 9am-4pm Monday, August 16 to Friday, August 20 | 9am-4pm Monday, August 23 to Friday, August 27 | 9am-4pm Cost Eligibility & Location: $550/week 4 to 12 years of age KidsAbility - Waterloo (this will be the only location in which we are able to offer camps this year, but is open to everyone, regardless of where you live). Registration: Registration for Firefly Friends Camp opens on Wednesday, April 7 through the KidsAbility Events Calendar. You can search by month to find the week that you are interested in, create a family profile and register all in one place. We are putting the final touches on our online registration portal that you will be able to access through kidsability.ca/calendar. It isn't live right now, but it will be next week. Because we are working through some final details, we had hoped to open registration on April 1 but want to make sure that this process is as smooth as possible for families and are running some final tests. Registration will be done through KidsAbility now and no longer available through fireflytherapy.ca.

In keeping with the guidelines issued by the province, as a provider of essential health care services by regulated health professionals, KidsAbility will remain open throughout the provincial State of Emergency and stay-at-home orders effective Thursday, January 14, 2021. Our entire team will be working remotely and our buildings will be closed to the public for three days from Thursday, January 14 to Monday, January 18. Our sites will reopen again on Tuesday, January 19 at... 8am. The health, safety and wellbeing of everyonephysically, emotionally, and mentallycontinues to be our first priority. We continue to be diligent with our strict health and safety protocols at KidsAbility following the directives set by Public Health, the government and our therapists’ respective colleges. This allows KidsAbility to remain open and continue to be there when our clients and families need us the most in a safe, clean and welcoming environment. Our team is here to help. Read the full update from KidsAbility Centre for Child Development's CEO, Linda Kenny: https://kidsability.ca/news

Friday is World Autism Day. If you're looking for a way to celebrate this day or learn more about autism, join our friends Kitchener Public Library for their Sensory Storytime this Friday!

Ontario’s budget investment directly supports kids like Carter. Thank you Ontario Government and Ontario Community and Social Services for investing in children, youth and families at KidsAbility Centre for Child Development. Empowered Kids Ontario #EmpoweredKidsON

Are you a sibling of a brother or sister with a disability? You have a voice too! We are looking for siblings who are: - 14 to 40 years old - have a sibling ...who is 14-21 years old with a child-onset neurodisability (for example, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder or spina bifida) - living in Ontario Siblings participants will be asked to talk with us in an interview (by Zoom or telephone) and share photographs that describe their sibling relationship. We are offering a $20 e-gift card as a thank-you for participating in this study. For more information, please contact [email protected] or visit http://ow.ly/I01G50D5UAA.

Here it is. The poster for our Jan 11th webinar. Direct Link to register here: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_9CPywwkDQvy0KCmQHXug6g... Anne-Marie

Statement from Linda Kenny | CEO, KidsAbility "Yesterday, the Ontario Government released the 2021-2022 provincial budget. Included was the announcement of a historic and monumental increased investment of $240 million over four years for children’s rehabilitation across Ontario. This news has been received with much celebration and gratitude at KidsAbility and across our sector. These funds will allow us to begin to address waitlists in the communities we serve and provide c...hildren, youth and families with the help that they need sooner. For over 10 years, our sector has gone without any significant increase in investment to our core services and we have seen and felt the impact of that on our waitlists and our organization. Families are spending far too much time waiting for services that their children and youth need now. We also know that the pandemic has made a difficult situation even worse. This investment is recognition of the fact and we are looking forward to working with our partners in government and in the community to make a noticeable difference. At KidsAbility, we believe providing early and exceptional family-centred services for the wellbeing of children, youth and families is the most powerful way to build brighter futures. On behalf of our Board, staff, but most importantly, our families, we thank Premier Ford, our Ministers of Provincial Parliament and the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services for investing in our children and youth and to Empowered Kids Ontario for their continued advocacy efforts on behalf of our sector and our families." - Linda Kenny | CEO, KidsAbility https://kidsability.ca/newsroom?newsid=78

#KidsTakeover #ktowr We're thrilled to launch our new blog today and what better way to do that, but with a guest post by Megan Sherwin - Co-Chair of KAYAC. Thank you, Megan, for your leadership and for sharing your story for our inaugural blog post! https://kidsability.ca/blog

#KidsTakeover #KAYAC #KTOWR Therapeutic Recreation for Youth You might be asking yourself, What is a therapeutic recreation service? Well, therapeutic recreation services help people with disabilities to develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours that will allow them to participate in and enjoy recreation and leisure opportunities. ... These services are vital in communities because it can give every person with a disability the opportunity to feel connected, included and involved in their community and with their peers. If it wasn’t for the recreational services that were available in my hometown of Toronto, I don’t think I would be the person I am today. Growing up I played almost every sport including hockey, basketball and soccer. However, my true passion was for swimming and it was one of my swim instructors who introduced me to the sport. I had the opportunity to be a part of an integrated swim team that welcomed both able-bodied and para swimmers. This team allowed me to create some meaningful friendships and meet some of my lifelong best-friends. I was able to grow as a person, become independent and understand who I am and who I want to be in an environment that I felt safe in. Whenever I was with this team, I always felt I could be my 100% authentic self because no one saw my disability, instead they saw me and all the things that make me, me. So, every youth with a disability deserves the opportunity to participate because when we are given the same access to services as everyone else so much good can come from it. Every person involved can make a positive impact and a difference in their future.

#KidsTakeOver Everyone Deserves to Participate: All About Accessible Parks Everyone deserves to participate and everyone deserves to play! That is why it is so important to advocate for accessible playgrounds. Youth and young adults with disabilities deserve access to recreation and social opportunities just like everyone else. We can help our community make playgrounds more accessible and inclusive for all! Scroll through to learn about what changes we can make, and view some of the accessible playgrounds that are currently available in the Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph-Wellington area.

Thank you to our loyal supporters, volunteers, board members, families and staff, today is National Philanthropy Day a day to celebrate you! Your support for our children and youth help them to achieve great things at home, at school and in the community. Thank you for continuing to make KidsAbility a place of hope where brighter futures are possible.

We believe that every child and youth not only deserves to be an active participant in our community but needs to have a seat at the table where decisions are being made. Next week, we are amplifying the voices of our KidsAbility Youth Advisory Council membersalso known here as KAYACand joining organizations locally and globally as Kids Takeover on National Child Day on November 20! All next week, KidsAbility’s Youth will be taking over our social media and blog and lending their voices and insights to planning tables provincially and within our own walls. We’re thrilled to turn over the reins as Kids Takeover! Join us as we amplify the voices of our young people and actively include them in making lasting, meaningful change today and tomorrow. #KidsTakeover #KTOWR