September 2023 Newsletter

40th ANNIVERSARY

Starting September 18, families registered for the event that will take place on September 30 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Solidarité will receive their official invitation by email, as well as details to visit the Montréal Planetarium site. 

Many of us will celebrate the anniversary of Solidarity!

Please be aware that there are no more places available. If you have registered, but you need to cancel, please communicate your absence to elenaseco@www.spph.net in order to offer the possibility to one of our families on the waiting list.
 

FACE-TO-FACE JASETTE BETWEEN PARENTS

Would you like to participate in our next parent meeting in September? 

• When? Friday, September 8, between 10am and 12pm 
• Where? at La Boîte Gourmande, 445 Laurier Avenue, H2J 1E5 (at the north exit of the Laurier metro station, just in front of the station).

Since you will be offered a drink, registrations are required with Elena Seco by email elenaseco@www.spph.net.

FAMILY MATCHING

We want to remind you of the new service that Solidarité wishes to offer to members. The Twinning Program. We need families to build our bank and promote beautiful meetings that can support you in your role as a parent or facilitate friendships, between parents or between children. 

Apart from our meetings between parents “les Jasettes”, you can communicate your wishes of pairing with another family. There is no commitment between our members, but beautiful encounters and connections can be born between people who want to create a network. 

If you are interested, please write to elenaseco@www.spph.net and choose your criteria for matching with another family according to what you are looking for through this process: 

• Is it your cultural background that would help you connect with someone and feel understood?
• Is it the diagnosis that matters to you to discuss issues common to yours?
• Is your child’s age a priority to share your children’s developmental milestones or encourage friendships between your children? 
• Is your address (place of residence) the criterion that would allow you to feel closer to another person with whom you could be matched?

PETITION

As a reminder, the deadline to sign the petition to request an enhancement of the family support program to improve access to respite services is September 7, 2023!

The signatories call on the Government of Quebec to increase funding for the Family Assistance Program, taking into consideration the real cost of living and services, so that all families living with a person with a physical disability, on the autism spectrum and/or with an intellectual disability can obtain the respite services of their choice,  which are necessary for them without delay in order to prevent exhaustion and to keep people in their families.

BILL C-22

Did you know? Bill C-22, which creates the Canada Disability Benefit, was passed on June 20, 2023.

The purpose of this legislation is to provide additional financial assistance to persons with disabilities across Canada to help lift millions of Canadians out of poverty.

The passage of the bill is the result of exceptional mobilization across the country. The benefit is expected to come into effect in one year. 

ENTRY INTO DAYCARE

Time to look for daycare for your little one?

Did you know that La Place 0-5 is the one-stop shop for educational childcare?

Did you know that parents who receive last-resort financial assistance or the Aim for Employment program can access free childcare without paying a parental contribution? 

You will find below a leaflet on the exemption from the parental contribution to subsidized educational childcare and another explanatory sheet on last-resort financial assistance:

• Social Assistance Program (SAP);
• Social Solidarity Program (SSP);
• Basic Income Program (PRB).

DO YOU KNOW THE ORGANIZATION JE ME FAIS UNE PLACE EN GARDERIE (JMFPG)?

Contact
Tel.: 514-593-5135
E-mail : info@jmfpg.org
Website : www.jmfpg.org

HAVE YOU HEARD OF INTÉGRATION SOCIALE DES ENFANTS EN MILIEU DE GARDE (ISEMG)?

Contact
Tel.: 450-646-2714
Email : info@isemg.quebec
Website : www.isemg.quebec

WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT THE INCLUSION OF YOUR CHILD WITH AUTISM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD?

ENTRY TO SCHOOL

The « Guide sur le parcours scolaire pour les parents d’un enfant handicapé » is a document (in French) produced by the Office des personnes handicapées du Québec, which is filled with information on the educational path of children with special needs.

The “I Have My Plan” kit (in French) is intended to support students with behavioural difficulties. This document has seven sections to meet the following objectives: 

1. Present the context for the development of the “I have MY plan!” kit; 
2. Define the concept of contingency plan and its use; 
3. Identify the four phases of the IP implementation process; 
4. Address the approach advocated in the “I have MY plan!” kit; 
5. Provide a brief overview of the roles and responsibilities of IP actors; 
6. Explain how the “I have MY plan!” kit works.

The following document (in French) is accompanied by another on the rights, role and responsibilities of parents.

Finally, here is a short roadmap (in French) for preparing your children’s school intervention plan. 

WOULD YOU RATHER BE ACCOMPANIED IN YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL INTERGRATION PROCESS?

The ”Place à l’école” service (overseen by the ISEMG) supports parents in their collaborative approach with the school team as part of the integration and inclusive education process for their child with special needs. This, in order to:

• Communicate effectively with the school team
• Share information tailored to your context and challenges
• Identify priority actions for your child
• Ensure a common understanding of the child’s needs for all services offered by the school
• Maintain healthy and open communication so that information is easily shared throughout the school year

For more information, send an e-mail to info@placealecole.quebec.

On the website of l’Accompagnateur you can watch very interesting conferences about the school (In French only).

Here is the video L’inscription en maternelle pour les enfants ayant des besoins particuliers (Kindergarten Enrolment for Children With Special Needs) presented by Place à l’école/ISEMG.

We also recommend that you watch Parents : Partenaires reconnus de l’équipe école (Parents : Recognized Partners of the School Team), moderated by the Executive Director of Intégration Sociale des Enfants en Milieu de Garde (ISEMG).

If your child is starting high school, you will be more interested in this presentation Faciliter la transition de l’école primaire vers l’école secondaire (Facilitating the Transition From Primary to High School) presented by l’ISEMG 

CENTRE ACTION AND CONNEXIONS PROGRAM

For over twenty years, the Action Centre has been providing a community day service to adults (18 years and older) with a physical disability, no intellectual disability, or a mild disability, so that they have access to and can participate in a variety of educational, social, cultural, and recreational programs in a community setting. In addition, their programs are bilingual, face-to-face, and virtual!

Their Connections program is a virtual platform and online community.  It facilitates access to online content and allows members to participate in activities and maintain relationships with others. Connexions offers weekly zoom activities, videos, and more. 

• The fall program will begin on September 1.
• Zoom Monday evenings are open to all for free.
• The activities are bilingual.
• It’s easy to log in, as they use a zoom link for all activities.
• Registration costs $25 per year.  It gives access to all zoom and face-to-face activities at the Action Centre.