Council for Early Child Development






On September 19th, 2006, the Council held its first teleconference:

Community teleconference on Toronto First Duty,
a model of seamless access to child and family services


TELECONFERENCE RECORDING AVAILABLE:
Click here to download Part1>>
Click here to download Part2>>
Note: these files are large (approx. 5MB) and may take several minutes to download.

POWERPOINT AVAILABLE: click here to download>>
Note: this PowerPoint is large (5.4MB) and may take several minutes to download.


Teleconference panel participants:

Moderator:
Dr. Robin Williams
Vice-Chair, Council for Early Child Development
Medical Officer of Health, Niagara Region

Kerry McCuaig
Communications Advisor, Toronto First Duty
Atkinson Charitable Foundation

Dr. Joan Lombardi
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary, Children and Families, of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Author of Time to Care: Redesigning Child Care to Promote Education,
Support Families and Build Communities

Toronto First Duty: A promising demonstration model?. Can it transform the current ?hodge-podge? of child care, family support programs, kindergarten, preschool, prekindergarten, and early identification and intervention services?

First Duty is a new concept in providing services for families with young children. It blends traditional kindergarten, child care, and parenting supports, into a single program, with a common and flexible access point for families. Research, led by Dr. Carl Corter at OISE/UT, captures the cost effectiveness of the strategy and changes in child outcomes, family participation levels, and program quality. First Duty is an example of how to move from what currently exists in communities to the early child development and parenting centres recommended in the Ontario Early Years Study. Find out more at: www.toronto.ca/firstduty

Dr. Joan Lombardi has reviewed the First Duty research report and will comment on the findings and their implications for policy and programs. She will discuss the viability of adapting the First Duty model in other communities.

More info on Community Champions>>

More info on the Council's 1st Community Teleconference>>
Contact Us: 416.849.1332