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OTF Grant Helps Surrey Place Expand Parenting Enhancement Program

MARCH 14, 2022

In 2019, Surrey Place received a $665,500 Grow grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) over the course of three years to advance and develop the Parenting Enhancement Program. This program uses a multifaceted approach to provide parenting skills, training, and support to parents with developmental disabilities who have been referred to Surrey Place from child welfare agencies, Adult Protective Services, Toronto Public Health, and other community agencies.

Angel, an MMW client meets with her therapist online during a counselling session. 
Angel, an MMW client meets with her therapist online during a counselling session. 

The grant project was completed in January 2022 and has allowed Surrey Place to enhance and expand the program’s offerings, increase community outreach activities, and serve more parents and children through the Parenting Enhancement Program.

“Surrey Place is known for their innovative and collaborative work with people with developmental disabilities. I am thrilled that Surrey Place had the opportunity to advance and expand their Parenting Enhancement Program. Programs like this one are beneficial to families and communities.” 

Jessica Bell, MPP for University-Rosedale.

This grant has directly impacted the lives of parents with developmental disabilities and their children who receive support through Surrey Place’s Parenting Enhancement Program. With this funding, Surrey Place hired two additional therapists and a part-time research assistant to support the program’s expansion, and increased the number of families in service by 56 per cent. The grant also enabled the growth of various outreach activities, including providing tailored education and information sessions to over 700 key community stakeholders, school board staff, healthcare professionals, child welfare agencies, and trainees. Additionally, the grant supported development of key materials, presentations, and strategic tools as well as new services and groups to better support the needs of clients and families. 

Support from OTF has helped Surrey Place make a difference in the lives of clients and families, especially during these challenging times. With expanded programing and new ways of service, the Parenting Enhancement Program is better equipped to meet the needs of clients and their families and address program gaps.

“The Ontario Trillium Foundation Grow grant has truly helped the Surrey Place Parenting Enhancement Program provide better support and resources for parents with developmental disabilities. Education and support for parents with developmental disabilities can be limited in the Toronto region and this expansion has proved to be an invaluable long-term, capacity-building asset for the sector.”  

Terri Hewitt, Chief Executive Officer of Surrey Place 

About the Ontario Trillium Foundation

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. Last year, nearly $112M was invested into 1,384 community projects and partnerships to build healthy and vibrant communities and strengthen the impact of Ontario’s non-profit sector. In 2020/21, OTF supported Ontario’s economic recovery by helping non-profit organizations rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Visit otf.ca to learn more

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By 2 months

Has your baby had their hearing screened? YES NO

By 6 months

Does the child?

Startle in response to loud noises? YES NO
Turn to where a sound is coming from? YES NO
Make different cries for different needs (hungry, tired)? YES NO
Watch your face as you talk? YES NO
Smile/laugh in response to your smiles and laughs? YES NO
Imitate coughs or other sounds such as ah, eh, buh YES NO

By 9 months

Does the child?

Respond to their name? YES NO
Respond to the telephone ringing or a knock at the door? YES NO
Understand being told no? YES NO
Get what they want through using gestures (reaching to be picked up)? YES NO
Play social games with you (Peek-a-Boo)? YES NO
Enjoy being around people? YES NO
Babble and repeat sounds such as babababa or duhduhduh? YES NO

By 12 months

Does the child?

Follow simple one-step directions (sit down)? YES NO
Look across the room to a toy when adult points at it? YES NO
Consistently use three to five words? YES NO
Use gestures to communicate (waves hi/bye, shakes head for no)? YES NO
Get your attention using sounds, gestures and pointing while looking at your eyes? YES NO
Bring you toys to show you? YES NO
Perform for social attention and praise? YES NO
Combine lots of sounds together as though talking (abada baduh abee)? YES NO
Show an interest in simple picture books? YES NO

By 18 months

Does the child?

Understand the meaning of in and out, off and on? YES NO
Point to more than 2 body parts when asked? YES NO
Use at least 20 words consistently? YES NO
Respond with words or gestures to simple questions (Where's teddy? What's that?)? YES NO
Demonstrate some pretend play with toys (gives teddy bear a drink, pretends a bowl is a hat)? YES NO
Make at least four different consonant sounds (p ,b, m, n, d, g, w, h)? YES NO
Enjoy being read to and sharing simple books with you? YES NO
Point to pictures using one finger? YES NO

By 2 years

Does the child?

Follow two-step directions (Go find your teddy bear and show it to Grandma.)? YES NO
Use 100 to 150 words? YES NO
Use at least two pronouns (you, me, mine)? YES NO
Consistently combine two to four words in short phrases (Daddy hat. Truck go down.)? YES NO
Enjoy being around other children? YES NO
Begin to offer toys to other children and imitate other children's actions and words? YES NO
Use words that are understood by others 50 to 60 per cent of the time? YES NO
Form words or sounds easily and without effort? YES NO
Hold books the right way up and turn the pages? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 30 months

Does the child?

Understand the concepts of size (big/little) and quantity (a little/a lot, more)? YES NO
Use some adult grammar (two cookies, bird flying, I jumped)? YES NO
Use over 350 words? YES NO
Use action words such as run, spill, fall? YES NO
Participate in some turn-taking activities with peers, using both words and toys? YES NO
Demonstrate concern when another child is hurt or sad? YES NO
Combine several actions in play (puts blocks in the train and drives the train, drops the blocks off.)? YES NO
Put sounds at the beginning of most words? YES NO
Use words with two or more syllables or beats (ba-na-na, com-pu-ter, a-pple)? YES NO
Recognize familiar logos and signs involving print (Stop sign)? YES NO
Remember and understand familiar stories? YES NO

By 3 years

Does the child?

Understand who, what, where and why questions? YES NO
Create long sentences using five to eight words? YES NO
Talk about past events (trip to grandparents house, day at child care)? YES NO
Tell simple stories? YES NO
Show affection for favourite playmates? YES NO
Engage in multi-step pretend play (pretending to cook a meal, repair a car)? YES NO
Talk in a way that most people outside of the family understand what she/he is saying most of the time? YES NO
Have an understanding of the function of print (menus, lists, signs)? YES NO
Show interest in, and awareness of, rhyming words? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 4 years

Does the child?

Follow directions involving three or more steps (First get some paper, then draw a picture and give it to Mommy)? YES NO
Use adult type grammar? YES NO
Tell stories with a beginning, middle and end? YES NO
Talk to try and solve problems with adults and with other children? YES NO
Show increasingly complex imaginary play? YES NO
Talk in a way that is understood by strangers almost all the time? YES NO
Generate simple rhymes (cat-bat)? YES NO
Match some letters with their sounds (letter b says buh, letter t says tuh)? YES NO