In February of this year, the Comox Valley Child Development Association’s (CVCDA) Supported Child Development (SCD) Program sent out a letter request to many of the local schools and more specifically their Home Economics and Wood Working programs. In an ongoing effort for SCD to develop creative ways to support their children and families, the letter was looking for a collaboration to create a few of the more costly items. These items included a weighted lap pads, activity bags and box chairs.
‘Part of supporting successful inclusion includes providing families and centres with resources, tools and equipment”, said Kathy Cruickshank, Program Manager. “The needs of children, families and centres for these resources is ongoing. They can come at a high cost to our program and funds are always challenging to come by”
In the end, Alesha Gurr, one of our Supported Child Development Consultants was able to make a winning connection and head up the initiative with local shop teacher, Dave Munro from Cumberland Community School.
Box Chairs are a tool used in early learning centres to provide supportive seating. These chairs are particularly helpful for children who have a low muscle tone or who need a visually defined space to be in. These chairs are also designed with higher sides and can be repositioned depending on the height of the child.
It was set, Dave would donate his time, shop space and expertise to construct 12 Box Chairs and our SCD Program would pay for the wood and raw materials needed. The cost of materials would only be a fraction of the cost to buy them new, which would typically cost around $200.
The box chairs were completed mid May and were picked up and brought back to the Child Development Centre in Courtenay in their raw state, ready for painting. The wonderful team of Project Inclusion, another of our programs here at the CVCDA, joined in the collaboration offering to paint the chairs. They had a couple of painting sessions utilizing all donated paint to add the final touches to the chairs.
We are expecting the chairs to be put into action later this month through our SCD program. Some will be used internally at the main CVCDA centre. Others will be loaned to various early learning centres through out the Comox Valley. Additionally, a couple will be utilized in our Occupational Therapy program.
As part of the Comox Valley Child Development Association, a non-profit organization, the Supported Child Development (SCD) Program facilitates inclusion of all children into community settings. SCD Consultants provide resources, planning, consultation and support to families, early childhood educators and caregivers.
For more information on this collaboration or a future collaboration,
please contact Kathy Cruikshank: Kathy@cvcda.ca
