The early years of life are extremely important. The child from birth to three years is developing at a rapid pace and future physical, social, and intellectual development is dependent in part on the baby's early experience with his or her family. The family is the most important source of learning, emotional support, and developmental encouragement available to the child.
If you are concerned about your child's development, and would like some assistance in learning how to encourage his or her progress, the Infant Development Program is available. This home-based program provides early intervention for families with children age birth to three years who are at risk of, or who have, a developmental delay or diagnosed disability.
The Infant Development Program is a family-centred program, which means that you decide on the kind of support you would like to have from us. Infant Development Consultants are professionals trained to assist you in developing skills and approaches which will enable you to enhance your child's development.
Home visits are an integral part of the Infant Development Program. A consultant will visit you in your home on a regular basis, and work with you to develop a plan which best meets the needs of your child and family.
Services include:
- Home visits to monitor progress, develop new activities, and support parents.
- Developmental assessments.
- Playgroup with parent participation.
- Parent workshops or support groups.
- Toy and book lending library.
- Assistance for you and your child in making the transition to a preschool or child care program.
- Service coordination.
- Referral to appropriate community resources.
- Liaison with other professionals and agencies who may provide information and support.
For your baby, this is an opportunity to become more independent, discover his or her abilities, and learn new skills. As a parent, you have the opportunity to learn ways to encourage your child's development, meet other parents, discuss parenting issues, and make optimum use of other community resources.
Referrals may come from any source, such as a parent, doctor, public health nurse, or community professional. Your participation is voluntary and free of charge.
Contact the program staff at idp@cvacl.org, or (250) 746-4135 ext.253, for more information.