Resources for Professionals

Learn more about the Etobicoke Brighter Futures Coalition

Are you looking to learn more about the Etobicoke Brighter Futures Coalition? Please explore our list of resources below:

Coalition Resources.

Service Pathway Videos 

Wellbeing

Service Pathways This resource outlines services or agencies that are part of the EBFC, where parents and caregivers can get answers to questions about child development, nutrition, parenting and pregnancy and can connect to a range of professional and other services in the Etobicoke Community.

Supporting Your Child's Social and Emotional Development Parents and caregivers support the social and emotional development of young children through relationships and play. These eight Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Play Statements provide parents with information and activities that foster self-regulation, positive thoughts, resilience, emotional development, well-being, empathy, communication and attachment.

Physical Literacy: Adaptability and Accommodation We look at ideas and ways to modify instructions, expectations, equipment and the environment to ensure that all children are included in physical activities and equally inspired to participate regardless of needs. 

Events

Our Model  

Our coalition model is designed with a Coordinating Committee that addresses Coalition-wide issues, financial management, membership, policies and governance, and three working teams that focus on Capacity Building, Collaborative Programming, and Evaluation and Accountability.  

“The coalition is beneficial for its amazing sharing of resources and information about the sector and information about community needs and trends.”
– Coalition Member

The Coordinating Committee

The Coordinating Committee’s role is to manage the business of the Coalition including financial management, member accountability, strategic directions, and relationships between partnerships and networks. The Coordinating Committee sets the overall mission and direction of the Coalition and works to influence and impact citywide and provincial policy development as it relates to early years programs and services.  

The Capacity Building Team

The role of the Capacity Building Team is to develop and provide professional development, networking and member engagement opportunities for staff in our member agencies and to develop resources that support effective programming for families and young children.  

The Program Team

The role of the Program Team is to create opportunities for partnership and collaborative programming; to design and plan Coalition-wide programs and initiatives; and to study and share best practices for early years programming.

“One of the main strengths to the coalition, is that provides opportunities for individuals to work together from various agencies who might not have the chance to otherwise. “
– Coalition Member

The Evaluation Team

The Evaluation Team develops evaluation frameworks, templates and evaluation practices and strategies; ensures outcome evaluation strategies are implemented for all Coalition funded programs, and reviews evaluation results and program reports for quality control and accountability. 

Program Delivery

Our model for program delivery engages partner agencies as program leads to deliver the programs on behalf of the Coalition.  Service coordination and accountability takes place centrally at our Coordinating Committee. This ensures that the unique needs of each community are addressed and that strategies, information, and resources are shared across the entire community of Etobicoke.

“In the [Etobicoke Brighter Futures Coalition] meeting, I understood that all of the community agencies in Etobicoke were there at that one table, that one spot. That was crucial for me. And I have the opportunity to be part of it, and to participate in this large network. It helped me to understand everything that was happening at Etobicoke very quickly so that I could make the connections and offer the most appropriate programming.”
– Maria Velasquez, Macaulay Child Development Centre

Resources For Professionals

Below are some additional web resources that you may find useful:

• Implementing the Early Learning Framework in Family Support Programs Check out our annotated list of web based resources to support the implementation of the Early Learning Framework and “How Does Learning Happen?” the Ministry of Education pedagogy for the early years

• Infant Mental Health Promotion (IMHP) is an independently run, not for profit organization operating within the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto.  The goal of IMHP is to promote the development of infants (0-3) through education, information dissemination, networking and advocacy.  IMHP offers training, materials and resources and the site is an information hub for infant mental health practice in Canada.

• Best Start: Ontario's Maternal Newborn and Early Child Development Resource Centre supports service providers across the province of Ontario working on health promotion initiatives to enhance the health of expectant and new parents, newborns and young children

• Reaching In Reaching Out (RIRO) Resiliency Skills Training Program provides service providers working in early learning, child care, community/mental health and other settings with the knowledge and skills they need to model and teach resilience approaches to young children, from birth to eight years of age. The RIRO site has many resources for professionals and parents to foster resilience in young children. 

• Zero to Three Transforms the science of early childhood into helpful resources, practical tools and responsive policies for parents, professionals and policymakers.  ZERO TO THREE plays a key role in ensuring that babies and toddlers get a strong start in life by supporting:

  • parents with practical resources that help them connect more positively, deeply and continuously with their babies

  • professionals with knowledge and tools that help them support healthy early development

  • policymakers in advancing comprehensive and coherent policies which support and strengthen families, caregivers and infant toddler professionals

• Ontario Ministry of Education Offers information for professionals regarding childcare and the early years.

• City of Toronto Licensed Child Care Resources Toronto’s licensed child care system has over 1,000 centres and 19 home child care agencies providing early learning and care for children up to 12 years of age. The City supports quality programs which promote healthy outcomes for all children.  Site includes resources, a Childcare Locator and information on applying for subsidy.  

Join The Coalition

Are you interested in joining the Etobicoke Brighter Futures Coalition? We’d love to talk to you! Please visit our ‘Get Involved’ page to learn more about what it means to be part of our Coalition.