For Parents (to write their support letters)

URGENT…TIME SENSITIVE


October 26, 2009

Dear parents,

We would like to bring an urgent matter to your attention. On September 29th without prior consultation, the Ministry for Children and Family Development informed Dana Brynelson, the Provincial Advisor for the Infant Development Programs of B.C., that the funding for the Provincial Office of Infant Development was to be cut the following day. The office has been given three months to wrap up any outstanding projects. The concern is that this decision has been made without the knowledge and understanding of what the impact would be on the future of early intervention programs in our province.

Many of you have asked how this closure will impact the service you are receiving. Some of you have also asked how you can help. This letter is an effort to address those questions.

For 34 years, the Provincial Office has served a crucial function for IDP programs and families across the province; to ensure that children with special needs have access to high quality early intervention services, to establish and maintain consistent standards of service from program to program, and to provide ongoing training to the staff to ensure their specialized knowledge remains current. Local IDP programs will continue to operate, but without the Provincial Office in place, the continued excellence, quality, and consistency of service can no longer be guaranteed. The impact of the cuts may not be felt immediately; however, they will result in an erosion of services, which will negatively affect the quality and standards of service. Families and programs will feel that erosion alike, province-wide. This is indeed a step back for the Infant Development Program which has been recognized internationally as a model of early intervention services.

Dana Brynelson has been with the IDP program since its inception. As Provincial Advisor, she has been instrumental in leading the way for early intervention services in B.C. The Provincial Office, which consists of the Provincial Advisor, an assistant, and four part- time regional advisors, operates on a budget that is a mere 1.6 % of the IDP provincial budget. The Provincial Office is NOT an administrative office for our program as these cuts would imply. Rather, the Provincial Office:
• Provides direct service by connecting families e.g. who have a child with a rare syndrome or disorder
• Connects families to up to date information and community resources via the website www.idpofbc.ca which it created and maintains
• Monitors trends in areas of disabilities via annual statistics
• Ensures standardization for Infant Development Programs throughout B.C. through the IDP Policy and Procedures Manual, which it created.
• Establishes a baseline of required knowledge for IDP consultants through the Infant Development Certificate and Diploma Programs out of UBC, which it created.
• Maintains excellence in training for IDP consultants throughout B.C. by offering bi-annual inservices as well as a summer institute at UBC, on various topics in early intervention and developmental assessments.
• Organized a partnership with York University to offer coursework in the certificate of Infant Mental Health
• At the request of MCFD developed a data base program which is being piloted in several communities.

Please help by voicing your concerns about this closure, as politicians listen to parents. Feedback from families could have considerable impact for a change of opinion to rethink this closure. Letters (hard copy) are more effective than e-mailing, as politicians have an obligation to respond to letters. Letters could be e-mailed, printed off, and a hard copy sent. We greatly appreciate any support you are able to offer in this matter.

Enclosed are a press release, letters of support, and the link to the IDP of B.C. blog space ( http://partnerships2009.blogspot.com/) where you can send or read letters that have been posted. Letters could be sent to your local MLA’s, editors of local and city newspapers, as well as to the politicians listed below. It would be helpful if you could also send copies of your letters to Maurine Karagianis (address below). She is the NDP Opposition Critic for Children and Families and would like to take the issue of the closure of the Provincial Office into the House.

Sincerely,
Donna Colodey, Gaye Jackson, Colleen Bonus and Cydney Walker
North Shore Infant Development Program.

Parent Advisory Committee for the North Shore Infant Development Program

Honorable Mary Polak, Minister, Lesley Du Toit, Deputy Minister, Carole James,
Ministry for Children and Family Ministry for Children and Family Official Leader of the
Development, Development, Opposition,
PO Box 9057 Stn Prov Govt, PO Box 9721 Stn Prov Govt, Provincial Office BCNDP,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 9E2 Victoria, B.C. V8W 9S2 5367 Kingsway,
Minister.MCF@gov.bc.ca MCF.DeputyMinistersOffice@gov.bc.ca Burnaby, B.C. V5H 2G1
Carole.James.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Maurine Karagianis, Honorable Gordon Campbell,
Room 201, PO Box 9041 Stn Prov Govt.,
Parliament Buildings, Victoria, B.C. V8W 9E1
Victoria, B.C. V8V 1X4 premier@gov.bc.ca
Maurine.Karagianis.MLA@leg.bc.ca