According to the Canadian Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, “All individuals must be treated equally, regardless of their race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical disability. The Canadian Human Rights Act also states “employers and service providers are required to accommodate special needs, including those of people with disabilities, short of undue hardship”.
Children with special needs require child care for the same reasons as all children:
- To grow, develop and learn.
- Friendship building and social inclusion.
- Parental employment, training, respite and support.
(“Children with special needs: the need for child care,” Fact Sheet, SpeciaLink: The National Centre for Child Care Inclusion and “What do we mean by inclusion?” Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada, Fact Sheet)
Procedures:
Human Resources: All staff of Child’s Paradise Day Care Centre understand and agree to support inclusive practices as outlined in the Inclusion Policy
Training: All staff attend special needs-focused training opportunities on effective inclusive programming whenever possible.
Programming: The staff adapts the environment and routines as necessary to meet the needs of the children enrolled. The staff develops flexible programming that can be adapted as needed.
Confidentiality: All staff have signed confidentiality agreements upon hiring. Staff are aware that they will receive and have access to confidential information about children and families and they agree to keep this information in strict confidence.
Partnerships: Child’s Paradise Day Care Centre will work collaboratively with parents and outside service providers to ensure that the needs of the children are met. We will, with the consent of the parents, refer children to outside service providers when we feel, or the parents feel, that a child may require additional support.
Admission/Registration: All families interested in registering their child are dealt with in a fair and equitable manner.
Transitions: Children with special needs may require extra support when transitioning to a new age group. It is preferred that children move to the next age group as their same-age peers.
Withdrawal: If the Centre is having difficulties meeting the child’s needs, we will ensure that:
- All families asked to withdraw are dealt with in a fair and equitable manner.
- The notice of withdrawal is consistent with the Withdrawal Policy of the Centre and is the same for all families.
- Reasonable care has been taken in assessing the child’s needs and the Program’s ability to support those needs.
- Special needs resources and outside agency support have been exhausted prior to the Notice of Withdrawal.
Special Facilities:
Child’s Paradise Day Care Centre is wheelchair accessible and has wheelchair accessible toilet facilities. When a child requires assistance with personal care, it will be done in a private and dignified manner. Where possible, we will adapt resources in our Program Rooms and will move furniture to create a positive safe environment, ensuring all areas are accessible for all children. |
Philosophy
