Programs help kids develop

Needs of students determine best fit

For families with children experiencing physical or developmental challenges, finding the right early childhood education program can be extremely beneficial.

Helping a preschool-age child learn to socialize while also addressing language, behavioural and motor delays can put them on the track for success in the regular school stream once they’re older. A strong program can also greatly improve the quality of life for children with more profound challenges.

Alberta Education’s Program Unit Funding, which makes special preschool programs available to kids with delays and challenges, was created to help. A number of different schools in Calgary take advantage of the funding.

“Alberta, in my opinion, is the leading province as far as programming for children with special needs,” says Kirsten McKenzie, manager of the South Early Childhood Services Program at Pacekids, an organization that offers a variety of programs for kids from infancy to pre-adolescence.

“The province recognizes that early intervention is key — that’s where they’ve put most of their funding.”

Some preschool programs in Calgary cater to children with physical and developmental challenges. The amount of therapy and specific programs vary, depending on students’ needs. Pacekids, for example, offers in-home programming for parents and children, morning preschool classes for kids with complex challenges that require multi-disciplinary therapy, and afternoon classes for students who need speech and language enhancement.

The programming at Pacekids is exclusively for students with special needs, who are supported with personal aides and are visited by therapists within the classroom.

Other schools, such as the Providence Children’s Centre, integrate typically developing children with students with a wide range of challenges, including Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy and undiagnosed developmental or language delays.

The school believes such a diversity of kids lets them interact and learn from one another. Therapy and special instruction is still offered within the classroom, it’s just a slightly different approach that may be the right fit, depending on a child’s needs and personality.

“We want our kids to have an enriched program where they’re working side-by-side with their peers, so there will be a lot of social and language interaction happening,” says Rhonda Conway, Providence’s president and chief executive officer. “And then the typically developing children learn patience and empathy and tolerance for diversity.”

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Getting generous amounts of fruit and vegetables into your children’s diets is his top recommendation to strengthen their immune systems.

Nieman advises parents to offer plenty of choice and encourages them not to give up too easily.

Keep offering fresh fruits and vegetables in whatever form they’ll accept — sliced, smoothies, frozen, whole.

If you need to, supplements can work if nothing else does.

PROPER SLEEP & EXERCISE

Well-rested children are more likely to stay healthy, and that’s good news for strong immune systems!

Keeping kids active is good for them in many ways, and it goes beyond the benefits of keeping them moving.

Exercise can offer important play and social engagement, and boost immune systems. Even 15 minutes of intentional activity a day can benefit your preschoolaged child.

VITAMIN D AND OMEGA 3

We all think we can get Vitamin D from the sun, but even though Calgary is a sunny city, the quality of that sunshine is quite low when it comes to boosting Vitamin D levels, so supplements can help.

Omega 3 supplements also offer some protection and are worth considering.

HAND WASHING

As a longtime pediatrician, Nieman knows it’s often not enough to tell children to wash their hands.

Hygiene and regular handwashing is a must, but we’ve all seen children wash their hands then immediately go back to playing, touching their faces, then reaching for items in the classroom.

Always encourage your children to wash their hands, dispose of tissues in the garbage, and cover their cough to help reduce the spread of germs. Just know they’re going to be exposed anyway.