Bruce County is pleased to announce that the Journey Through the Ages and Stages project team has won an Ontario Municipal Social Services Association (OMSSA) Local Municipal Champion Award.

This award recognizes efforts and accomplishments in advancing excellence in human services integration and service system management by teams from Consolidated Municipal Services Managers (CMSMs) and District Social Services Administration Boards (DSSABs) across Ontario.

The project team was presented with the award at the 2021 Virtual OMSSA Exchange conference on May 11, 2021 and will be highlighted provincially through various news and social media outlets.

Bruce County's Journey Through the Ages and Stages, a 2019 Human Services Business Plan initiative, provides parents with the opportunity to understand their child’s developmental milestones through completing the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3) and the additional social-emotional screen (ASQ-SE-2) earlier on and throughout their child's development.

The project team was developed with staff members from Bruce County's EarlyON Child and Family Centres, Special Needs Resourcing Team, Licensed Home Child Care Team, together with the support of Licensed Child Care Providers across Bruce County. Bruce County's Data Analysis Coordinator and Special Needs Resource Supervisor were selected as the project's leads.

The Journey Through the Ages and Stages pilot in 2020 was completed with success, with 673 children receiving the ASQ package in Bruce County and over a 50% questionnaire completion rate - a return rate that surpassed expectations for the first round.

If additional support was identified as needed through the Questionnaires, Bruce County Children's Service staff followed up with each caregiver to support them in accessing services for their child.

Another key outcome of the Journey Through the Ages and Stages has been the ability to utilize aggregate ASQ data to assist the child care and early years community to plan, implement and evaluate programs that support the needs of children in Bruce County.

“We are so pleased with the positive impact the Journey Through the Ages and Stages initiative has, and will continue to have, for children and families in Bruce County”, say Tina Metcalfe, Children’s Services Manager.

The implementation of Journey Through the Ages and Stages for 2021 in Bruce County is now underway. If parents would like to receive the age-appropriate questionnaires for their child(ren), they can reach out to their licensed child care program or email Bruce County Children’s Services staff at childcare@brucecounty.on.ca.”

source: media release, Bruce County