Nurture Early Beginnings & Ignite Potential!
With the warmer weather in the air, and spring top of mind for our community, we here at George Jeffrey Children's Foundation are focused on nurturing early beginnings for our early learners, and igniting their potential to ensure a successful future!
One of the many ways George Jeffrey Children's Centre ignites potential in our youth is through the School Based Rehabilitation Services Program. This program places our clinicians directly in the schools to assess and support children in the school setting. Over 1,400 children in Thunder Bay schools receive occupational therapy, speech therapy, or both!
To enhance this program, our Occupational Therapists are launching a new pilot initiative called "Tiered Intervention Therapy" in a number of Thunder Bay Schools, as well as one in Schreiber. Funding for this program will enable our team to purchase a number of resources to build supply kits to support the development of fine motor skills in Kindergarten classrooms.
NURTURE EARLY BEGINNINGS TODAY!
Once assembled and in use, these kits will function on a "tiered" level for students in classrooms. For example, at Tier One a child may need a special pencil grip or scissors, or possibly a special printing work book. If a child requires this support in the classroom, the whole class uses that particular tool in an effort to normalize this function.
A child identified at Tier Two may need to leave their classroom for therapy, however, other children will also participate in the activity so no child is centred out. A child identified at Tier Three may need to have one-on-one therapy, and will still make use of the tools provided in these kits. The supplies in the kits are provided to each classroom, and will be easily accessible and efficient to put into use.
[A CLAW Writing Grip ensures proper placement for fingers, can accelerate handwriting for anyone struggling with fine motor skills, and builds confidence in children's writing abilities! They are designed to be used for either the right or left hand.]
By giving teachers the knowledge and tools to support the children in their classrooms, learning and development as it relates to printing, cutting and other self-care skills will continue long after the Occupational Therapist has left the classroom!
This service has been successfully piloted in other schools in Ontario and there is evidence that this therapy approach can also help identify other children who require support who may not have been otherwise.
Further, if this pilot program is successful, teachers and administrators will be able to build this expense in to their annual budgets with their respective school boards.
Early education and development are so important for our kids. To fund the Tiered Intervention Therapy Pilot Program, we need YOUR help to raise $20,000. EVERY donation makes a profound difference, so we are asking you to help us nurture their early beginnings, and ignite their potential!
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