Connections Early Years Family Centre in Windsor is marking 50 years of helping families in the community.
Connections is a charitable organization that provides supports, resources, and services to aid the healthy development of families and to promote the early learning and healthy development of young children in Windsor-Essex.
The services and resources include the Talk 2 Me Preschool Speech & Language Program, the Infant Hearing Program, the Blind-Low Vision Program, and the Ontario Autism Program’s Caregiver-Mediated Early Years Program.
There's also an EarlyON Centre that offers play-based learning opportunities and groups for parents and children.
Executive director Barb Brown says they have a lot of programs and services so they can be responsive to families.
"The whole idea is about supporting families. If families are supported and healthy, then we have a healthy community. That's really what drives us," she says.
Brown says they had around 21,000 visits to all of their programs in 2023 as they service around 12,000 families in a given year.
"The talk to me program is for children; 1-in-10 children would need support with their speech development. Infant hearing, we screen all newborns in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent; that right there covers 4,000 to 5,000 kids in each community. Blind-low vision, smaller population but much needed," she says.
The centre at 795 Giles Blvd. E., at the corner of Marentette Avenue, recently completed a $2.9 million Building UP! renovation campaign.
The renovations include greater accessibility in the way of elevators, ramps, and doorways; an accessible community kitchen, outdoor learning space, and accessible classroom; sensory play space for young children; and additional treatment and hearing screening rooms.
