Staff
Grey County is reviewing the local resourcing system for children with special needs. An anonymous survey for parents and caregivers is available online at www.grey.ca/snrsurvey until September 20.
“By reviewing our special needs resourcing system, we hope to build on our existing strengths, identify gaps in our processes, and create a plan to enhance our local service delivery,” explained Barbara Arbuckle, children’s services manager with Grey County. “If you have a child with special needs attending a licensed child care program in Grey County, we need to hear from you. Your experiences and insights are vital as we look to improve our local system.”
Past users of special needs resources are also asked to complete the survey, which takes around 15 minutes to complete.
“There’s a lot we can learn from the families who have used special needs child care service in the past,” said Arbuckle. “How did the resources help your child prepare for school? What were some challenges they faced? What areas would they have benefited from more support? Every family’s situation is unique, and we want to hear learn from their experiences.”
Grey County is responsible for managing licensed child care services across the county. The County contracts special needs resourcing staff to work with licensed child care providers and help them assess children with a range of special needs. Individual care and development plans are created to help the providers as they care for and educate each child.
The parent and caregiver survey is just one part of the review. Grey County is also engaging with licensed child care providers, child care centre staff, special needs resourcing service providers, and local school boards.
The special needs resourcing survey was developed with Optimus SBR, an independent consulting firm assisting with the review. Findings and recommendations will be reported to Grey County Council later this fall.
For more information about the special needs resourcing review, contact Grey County at 1-800-567-4739 or email barbara.arbuckle@grey.ca.
