11 | ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING REPORT
Staff
Currently we have 6 Teachers, 7 Speech Language Pathologists, 3 Speech Language Pathologist Assistants,
5 Occupational Therapists, 2 Occupational Assistants, 1 Physical Therapist, 1 Family Consultant/Intake
Manager, 1 Administrative Assistant, 1 EA Coordinator, 1 EA Liaison and 85 Educational Assistants.
Training
Our frontline staff are at the core of our educational programs, and it is part of our mandate to ensure the
continued education and support for the individuals that drive our programs. In August, our educational
assistants attended a two day training seminar, and three day Orientation training. Certified staff and
educational assistants also attended several therapy specific, professional development, and team-building
workshops and conferences. The SLP’s staff also attended the Hanen “It Takes Two to Talk: More than words
and TalkAbility” seminar.
Family Workshops
It is our strong belief that families are the firm foundation upon which a child builds lasting learning
experiences. To enhance the child’s centre-based programming, we held Family Oriented Programs (FOPs)
throughout 2013. Family oriented programming is designed to engage parents in a process that helps them
to implement the goals and objectives of the child’s individualized program plan (IPP). Here are just a few of
the FOPs we have held this year: Treehouse Playground, JumpyThings, Music Therapy, Roll with it (bowling)
and Clayworks.
Proactive screening
The 2nd Annual Proactive Speech and Language Screening days were held on March 11, 2013 at Kara Family
Resource Centre, and again on March 13, 2013 at the Terwillegar Community Recreation Centre. Over 70
children were screened at both events, with 27 children requiring further assessments.
When further assessments are needed, our certified therapists perform a full, formal assessment that can
then be used to apply for funding from Alberta Education. Funding helps to ensure that the child receives
the support that they need from an Early Learning Team for the coming year.
In addition to early screening, we also assist families who do not qualify for Alberta Education funding by
providing them with relevant information, and referring them to the appropriate organization for further
support. By offering this service, we are helping to alleviate the amount of referrals processed through
Alberta Health Services, helping to streamline the process for sites and families. We hope to continue to
provide this service in the coming years.
A big bouquet of thanks goes out to all CPE Staff for their dedication and continued support to all our
families.
Marjorie Cooper, Director of Community Preschool Education