Strategic Direction 1: Deliver meaningful, efficient client and caregiver outcomes and experiences

Ability Acceptance Program 

People with physical, communication and developmental needs are often faced with stereotyping, stigma and discrimination in daily life. Sometimes, our community faces exclusion from parts of society that people take for granted. Everyone deserves to feel like they belong. At Grandview Kids, we aim to actively contribute to a community that is inclusive and accepting of all abilities. Together, we can make our schools, workplaces and shared spaces more inclusive for everyone. 

Our Ability Acceptance Program, led by Grandview Kids’ Ability Acceptance Presenter and Archivist, Mitchell Daniels, is available to local businesses, schools (starting in Grade 3), licensed child care centres and community groups. The goal is to enhance the understanding and acceptance of all abilities and promote inclusive practices. Presentations are available virtually or in-person, at no cost to participants. 

In 2024-25, Mitchell conducted 19 Ability Acceptance and Autism Acceptance presentations to over 1,050 participants across the Greater Toronto Area. Audiences included students (Grades 3 to 12), government organizations and affiliated agencies. Presentations occurred in Ajax, Bowmanville, Oshawa, Toronto, Uxbridge and Whitby. The number of presentations and participants significantly increased from last year, growing by eight and 380, respectively.  

This year, there was also an increase in presentation requests from community organizations. Mitchell presented to nine community organizations and local businesses, indicating a surge in our community members’ desire to improve accessibility within the workplace. These organizations include, but are not limited to, The Village at Black Creek, Durham College, the Town of Ajax and The Toronto Lawn Tennis Club. 

Mitchell was also honoured to present at this year’s “Disability and Work in Canada Virtual Conference,” sharing his expertise on how organizations can create workplaces that are more accessible for their staff.  

Adolescent Transition Program 

Empowering youth. Supporting families. Building futures. 

Caring for a child or youth with physical, communication, or developmental needs can be both rewarding and overwhelming, especially during the transition from paediatric to adult services. At Grandview Kids, we recognize that this life stage brings uncertainty, questions and the need for strong, reliable support. 

With the generous support of TD Bank Group, we launched the Adolescent Transition Program (ATP) in August 2023. Co-designed with clients, staff and caregivers, this program is a family-centered initiative designed to guide youth and their caregivers through this complex life stage. The program’s goal is to foster confidence, clarity and community connection by addressing four key pillars:  

Through these pillars, families feel informed, empowered and supported as they navigate the transition from paediatric to adult services. 

Program growth and reach in 2024-25 

Beyond its development and launch phases, the ATP has entered a period of meaningful growth. In 2024–2025, ATP has seen an increase in participation numbers and a deepening of social connections that extend beyond formal scheduled events. Through the program, youth and families engage more independently, volunteer regularly, form their own peer networks, and take initiative in their communities.  

Real-life impact: Youth growth and peer empowerment 

Inspiring caregiver connection and confidence 

Caregivers are finding strength and clarity through the program: 

• After attending the March 2025 “Sips & Tips: Funding Night,” one parent felt empowered to act on a topic she had previously avoided. Inspired by the session, she followed up by sending a detailed action list to an ATP Peer Navigator, outlining her steps to move forward with funding applications and planning. Since then, she has become an active participant in the program, regularly reaching out with questions and updates as she checks off items on her list. She shared: 

“All your advice and support are so helpful. Just knowing I have someone to reach out to is great.” – Grandview Kids parent 

• Another parent shared how she met another parent at the event who helped answer financial questions and recommended a book that boosted her confidence in long-term planning. 

“As a single mother, the thought of navigating my child’s transition into adulthood felt overwhelming, especially with so many unfamiliar programs like DSO, ODSP and OW. The team at Grandview Kids stood by me through it all. They helped me understand what was available, guided me through the forms, and made sure I never felt alone. 

Their support gave me clarity, strength, and peace of mind. I now feel more secure, emotionally and financially, knowing my child’s future is on the right track. Grandview didn’t just support my child, they supported me, and for that, I am deeply grateful.” – Grandview Kids parent 

Looking ahead 

Beyond Grandview Kids’ vision of every child and youth living at their full potential, the Adolescent Transition Program carries that commitment forward, supporting youth and families as they navigate the transition into adulthood. The Adolescent Transition Program anticipates continued growth in 2025, supporting more opportunities for youth and families to connect, learn and thrive. 

Embedding the client and family voice in decision-making 

At Grandview Kids, it is a priority to embed diverse client and family voices to drive decision-making across all stages of care. This year, we ensured that all internal committees, working groups and projects had representation from the Family Leader Program, including family advocates and Peer Navigators from our Family Engagement Team. 

Family Leader Program 

The Family Leader Program at Grandview Kids comprises of parents, caregivers, clients and siblings who support Grandview Kids as our advocates, ambassadors and advisors. We recognize clients, caregivers and families as important partners in care and consistently seek to embed their voices into our programs, services and decision-making processes. 

The Family Leader Program, supported by staff from our Family Engagement Team, includes many forums for families, caregivers and clients to get involved to make a difference for others in their community who access Grandview Kids programs and services. 

Family Advisory Council (FAC) 

Grandview Kids’ FAC comprises parents or caregivers of Grandview Kids. These dedicated and passionate volunteers provide advice and guidance from a client and family perspective to improve the planning and delivery of programs and services at the Centre and across the broader paediatric health system. 

The FAC meets quarterly to discuss systems-level topics—problems that all families may encounter, regardless of the child or youth’s age or diagnosis. The group draws from its lived experiences to provide recommendations to Grandview Kids and participates in the design and decision-making processes for programs and services at the Centre. 

In some cases, FAC members share their stories and solutions on committees external to Grandview Kids, offering opportunities for broader impact. This diverse group of individuals helps Grandview Kids understand what matters most to the clients and caregivers it serves. 

In 2024-25, through feedback received in these meetings, the following improvements were made at Grandview Kids: 

Youth Advisory Council (YAC) 

Members of the YAC include current clients, siblings and grads from 12 to 25-years-old. This motivated group of youth works to host inclusive events for Grandview Kids families and take the lead on our very popular Annual Accessible Halloween event at the Safety Village. 

YAC offers members an opportunity to provide feedback to the organization on topics that affect our clients, while earning valuable volunteer hours. The YAC also supports Grandview Kids events by volunteering at our park playdates, holiday events and many more. The group meets quarterly to plan and share program improvements at Grandview Kids. 

Thank you to our passionate and driven group of family and youth advisors for their ideas, energy and innovations in our last fiscal year. 

Ambassador Program 

Grandview Kids is privileged to boast a wide network of clients and their families (known as “Ambassadors”) who participate in our Ambassador Program each year to tell their stories and support Grandview Kids in media opportunities, fundraising initiatives and at events. Led by Grandview Kids’ Ambassador Advisor Abby Valenciano, the Ambassador Program was created to give Grandview Kids clients and their families an opportunity to share their Grandview journey with those in the community. 

The program began in 2012 when parents and caregivers voiced a desire to give back to Grandview Kids for the support they received at the Centre. They wanted to share how the organization and its staff viewed their child(ren) and families as whole individuals with important and impactful stories to tell. These families are incredibly passionate about sharing their lived experiences with others, enabling a stronger understanding of how Grandview Kids continues to make a difference in the lives of the clients, caregivers and families it serves. Ambassadors also support the delivery of clear messages surrounding the importance of donating to help Grandview Kids achieve its mission in innovative ways.  

In 2024-25, 42 Ambassador families shared their stories with the community through this program. Their stories were shared in various ways, including video interviews, web blogs, quotes and testimonials, stories shared at live events, direct mail campaigns and grant proposals. This year, 46 unique stories were shared through our Ambassador families’ lived experiences in the last year. 

Here is what our Ambassador families had to share when asked about their experiences in our Ambassador Program: 

“Our Grandview Kids’ doctor and team of therapists really helped me over the years when I didn’t know what else we could do for my child. The virtual community I found on the Facebook Online Parent Support page was a big resource for me in our early diagnosis days. Now I want to give back and share how much Grandview has helped, but also help others facing similar challenges by sharing our story.” 

“Thank you for giving me a chance to share our family’s journey. Sharing our story is a way of healing for me, to be able to share what we have gone through and learned. I hope that I can also help other families going through similar journeys feel like they are not alone based on us sharing our experiences.” 

“I am in tears. Thank you so much. Your words are my heart on paper. So perfect, I am beyond grateful.” 

“We need to keep educating the community on what it means to be accessible. This is why we want to be ambassadors and share our story, experiences and ideas.” 

Our 2024-25 Ambassadors 

Thank you to our dedicated, passionate Ambassador families for your incredible support in 2024-2025. By sharing your honest, influential stories with Grandview Kids, you strengthen the understanding and impact of our work within our community and beyond.  

Reducing client wait times in priority areas 

The population of Durham Region continues to grow by about 2% each year. With this immense, continued growth in mind, Grandview Kids strives to improve equitable access to care and delivery of early interventions. 

In 2024-25, Grandview Kids served 11,848 children and youth, completing 99,131 visits and made significant progress in our efforts to reduce our waitlists. The number of days waiting for services reduced by 7% from 459 to 426 days, with more work continuing into the next fiscal year.  

This year, intense focus was given to reducing wait times in two programs with the most significant wait times: 

1. In Medical Services, the average number of days waiting from referral to initial assessment decreased from 357 to 203, which equates to a 43% reduction overall.  

The Grandview Kids Medical Services team is unwavering in their commitment to building the strengths of the children and youth we serve. By reducing our average wait time to nearly six months, the team of Developmental Paediatricians are empowering parents and caregivers to navigate the healthcare system to better support their child’s growth and development.  

2. In our School-Based Rehabilitation Speech-Language Pathology program, we introduced three new pathways: the Kindergarten, Elementary and Collaboration “pathways.” Our target was to have a wait time of no more than 1,341 days. Our goal was achieved with a significant reduction of wait time to 279 days between the date of referral and the date of the initial assessment. This is a step toward improved access through a tiered model of support for clients across the Durham Region.  

About the new pathways 

While we acknowledge these are still long wait times for access to early intervention, we are proud of the work that our clinical teams have led to help break down barriers and increase access to our services for more children, faster. 

Delivering a novel, tiered model of occupational therapy in schools 

Across all Durham Region schools in the last year, we introduced and delivered a novel tiered occupational therapy model aligned with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services’ Guidelines to the Preschool Speech and Language and Children’s Rehabilitation Services. In 2024-25, we completed more than 1,084 assessments in 179 schools under the provision of these guidelines. We chose the tiered model of occupational therapy in schools as one of our Leading Innovation for Transformation (LIFT) strategies. The classroom teachers and educational assistants, along with parents and caregivers, are directly involved in the appointment through the care delivered in alignment with the LIFT strategy. Our clinicians provide coaching so school staff and families can take the skills they have learned and use them at school, home, and in the community.  

We look forward to the upcoming fiscal year and the continuation of building tiered intervention services. This model embodies our mission of supporting children and youth with physical, communication and developmental needs to live, learn and play. 

Let’s Get Started – Early Years Speech-Language Pathology Services 

In 2024-25, Grandview Kids’ Early Years Speech-Language Pathology team began delivering a pathway called “Let’s Get Started” in alignment with the Preschool Speech and Language and Children’s Rehabilitation Services Guidelines. This was developed as another LIFT strategy to improve access to assessment and intervention for children under 30 months of age referred for speech and language services. Within the Let’s Get Started pathway, families begin their care journey with a workshop to gain knowledge and strategies to support their child’s developing communication skills. Then, caregivers and clients attend a coaching session to practice their new skills with other families under the supervision of a clinician. This interactive model allows clients and caregivers to build new skills in an inclusive, engaging and supportive setting. Caregivers continue using these strategies at home and are invited for a follow-up assessment three to four months later. They are invited for further group intervention if they have ongoing concerns with developing their child’s communication. 

More than 430 families have received support through this pathway thus far. Families have shared that the early access to parent coaching has helped them better support their child’s speech and language development. Many families also shared that they felt a sense of relief and reassurance knowing they have a direction and next steps for their child’s care.   

Interested in learning more? 

If you think your family could benefit from this pathway, please complete a referral online. You may also contact Grandview Kids’ Service Navigation Team if you have questions or have already referred to the Preschool Speech and Language services. 

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