Family Navigator and Early Literacy Specialist

Youville Centre and Ujima Project

Ujima (oo-JEE-mah): 3rd Principle of Kwanzaa, means “collective work and responsibility”

The Ontario Association of Young Parent Agencies (OAYPA) has been awarded a grant of $5.5 million over three years from an anonymous funder to establish Early Childhood Development Hubs throughout Ontario. Abiona Centre (formerly known as Massey Centre) is serving as the Project Trustee.

The aim of this project is to improve early outcomes for babies born to at-risk families across the province by supporting the early development needs of underserved, vulnerable children of adolescent mothers by creating Early Childhood Development Hubs across the province. We use a hub-and-spoke model that centralizes essential evidence-based services in key “hubs” with outreach capabilities via “spokes” to key population densities throughout Ontario.

These hubs offer essential components of early literacy, speech and language services, service navigation, and optimal infant, early childhood and family mental health under one roof. Twenty new staff positions have been created to support this project. It is anticipated that 1000 children and 900 young mothers will benefit each year from this project.

The agencies hosting Early Childhood Development hubs are:

Rose of Durham, Durham Region
Regina’s Place, Hamilton East/Lower Mountain
Rosalie Hall, East Toronto
Youville Centre, Ottawa
Massey Centre, Central and North Toronto
Monica Place, Waterloo Region
St. Mary’s Home, Champlain, Eastern Ontario
Fresh Start Supportive Services, London/St. Thomas
St. Martin’s Manor, Hamilton West

This project is also supported by the Young Families Program at SickKids Hospital. This team will offer resources and support to all of our hubs including a Pediatrician, Nurse Practitioner, and Social Worker. Families with complex cases will be connected with additional SickKids services including telepsychiatry.

Project Ujima began in January 2022, and Youville Centre is proud to have been selected to host an Early Childhood Development Hub and has hired for two positions; a Family Navigator and Early Literacy Specialist.

Ujima Project Update

Want to learn more about what the Ujima Project accomplished in 2023?

Please check out the link below for the March 2024 Report.

Family Navigator

Liz Briggs, RECE

Phone: 613-231-5150 ext. 107
Email: family_navigator@youvillecentre.org

The Program Coordinator, Family Navigator is a key frontline contact for young parents and their children seeking resources to help them live independently in the community, including exploration of kinship or co-parenting options.

Family Navigator engages in a collaborative approach to determine the range of young parents and infant/children service needs while assisting families in system navigation, advocate, referrals and supportive services within their respective communities.

Family Navigator meets with young parenting families and/or caregivers to develop goals, engage in parenting groups, skill development, fostering resiliency and increasing their self-efficacy.

The Family Navigator assists families in removing barriers for young parents by building and fostering relationships within the Ottawa area. The Family Navigator supports families in the following areas, but not limited to:

Marginalized Families
Racialized Families
LGBTQ2S+ families
Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health referrals
Medical/Mental Health Supports and Addictions Services
Housing
Community Support Services
Cultural Diversity, Newcomer Programs
Low-Income Support
Employment
Education
Counselling

Early Literacy Specialist

Sophie Rayner-Grignon, RECE

Phone: 613-231-5150 ext. 153
Email: early_literacy@youvillecentre.org

The Early Literacy Specialist supports early literacy and language development and promotes infant and early childhood mental health for young parents and their children from pregnancy to 6 years old.

A range of individual and group programs are available to parents at Youville Centre, as well as the wider community, with the goals of improving school readiness for children and reducing barriers to accessing early childhood development programs for families.

Children’s learning happens in the context of relationships. Early interactions with important adults builds babies’ brains and influences development. Recognizing and building on families’ strengths and supporting families in their relationships with their children promotes learning, healthy development, and later success in school and in life.

First Words Communication Checkup

We support parents in completing the First Words Communication Checkup.

The First Words Communication Checkup is an online screening tool that screens for speech, language, social communication, fine and gross motor skills while providing instant results based on the answers you provide.

If your child is needing more support with their language or other areas of development, the earlier the referral is made, the faster they will get help.

For more information or for support with this please email early_literacy@youvillecentre.org

Ages and Stages Questionnaire

We support parents in completing the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (a developmental screening tool) for their children ages 2 months to 6 years old.

The ASQ screening tool supports parents in identifying where their child falls in the typical developmental milestone timelines. It identifies strengths as well as areas where a child may need additional support. The ASQ screening empowers parents to have an active role in their child’s on-going development.