 | Infant & Child Development Program |
What Is It?
The early years of a child's life are very important. How your child develops depends partly on their experience with you and your family. The Infant and Child Development Program supports families in giving their babies and toddlers the best start in life.
Who Are The Children and Families We Serve?
The program is available to families with children up to 5 years of age who reside in Lanark County or Smiths Falls. We support any family with a child who is at risk for delays in their development, or who has been diagnosed with a developmental delay.
A referral can be made by physicians, or other community service providers with parental consent, or by the parents themselves. Inquiries prior to a baby’s birth are also welcome.
Who Are We?
We:- Are professionally trained in child development
- Encourage and support parent-child interaction and attachment
- Understand that you know your child best
- Offer support to increase your confidence as a parent
What Do We Do?
We:
- Visit you regularly in your own home
- Provide early intervention in all areas of child development
- Help you understand your child's cues and how to respond to them
- Provide information and support for children with delays in their development
- Suggest activities that will help your child gain skills in all areas
Why Do We Do It?
Some children are born with problems making it more difficult to learn, while others develop medical conditions at or after birth which may affect their learning capacity. Other children develop more slowly in one or more areas of functioning without any apparent reason.
What happens to children in the first years of life will play a large role in the path they will follow as adults. Recent research in the neurosciences provides powerful evidence of the early year's influence on a child's base of competence and coping skills. These will affect learning, behaviour, and health throughout their lifetime.
Our porgram promotes positive outcomes for children and families who are nurtured through their child's early years.
