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SpeciaLink puts researchers, policy makers, parents, early childhood educators and directors in touch with the best inclusive practices on the frontlines of Canadian child care. SpeciaLink's goal is to expand the quality and quantity of opportunities for inclusion in child care, recreation, education, and other community settings, to young children with special needs and their families. Our findings are available to EVERYONE.

Read our 2008-2009 Annual Report

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Read this interview with Debra Mayer of SpeciaLink and Dixie Mitchell of NBACL who promote inclusive early learning and child care and its importance for long-term inclusion; some of the challenges we face and NBACL’s work to address these. The article was part of an 8 page supplement sponsored by CACL (the Canadian Association for Community Living) in the National Post whose objectives were to highlight CACL’s 10-year Agenda objectives.

Inclusion: Making the most of life; National Post (2/18/09)
http://www.nationalpost.com/related/links/story.html?id=1304748
(don’t forget to read the rest of the articles!)

:: What's New ::

SpeciaLink’s Early Childhood Inclusion
~ Applying Lessons Learned National Symposium ~

SpeciaLink's symposium was a HUGE success! 195 delegates and presenters met at the University of Winnipeg August 21-23, 2008 to share their "Lessons Learned" about early childhood inclusion and early intervention. Thanks to everyone who attended, the Canadian Council on Learning and our funders, and our wonderful committee volunteers.

In the spirit of knowledge exchange, almost all presenters have shared their presentations with us in the form of executive summaries found within this SpeciaLink Symposium Sourcebook. We thank them for their generosity!

Here are the PowerPoint presentations from their workshops.

Thanks to our Symposium Planning Committee (some members AWOL)

Keynote speaker Will Brewer kicks up his heels with a conference delegate at our Manitoba Social.

Debra thanks Member of Parliament Judy Wasylycia-Leis for her personal and political commitment to disability issues and inclusion.

Dr. Jean Clinton of McMaster University uses props to help delegates visualize the components of the young child’s brain.

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Have you heard the buzz? Specialink has two uniquely Canadian tools to reflect on and measure inclusion quality in child care centresThe SpeciaLink Child Care Inclusion Principles and the SpeciaLink Child Care Inclusion Profile, available by request.

The SpeciaLink Child Care Inclusion Practices Profile and Principles Scale
are tools for assessing inclusion quality in child care centres. Used together, they provide a picture of sustainable and evolving inclusion quality — an emerging issue as more children with special needs attend community-based centres and as inclusion pioneers leave their centres and a new generation of directors and early childhood educators take on the challenge. These documents are available by request and are distributed at most of our training. SpeciaLink appreciates the financial support of the Canadian Council on Learning as we refine the instruments to meet standards for high quality research.

If you have not yet taken part in our inclusion training, please visit SpeciaLink on the Road, to find out where we are offering training next.


SpeciaLink-the National Centre for Child Care Inclusion
University of Winnipeg, 2E22-515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9
Phone: (204) 258-2901 · Toll Free: 1-866-902-6333 · Fax: (204) 786-7803
info@specialinkcanada.org

© 2004 SpeciaLink. All rights reserved.
Webmaster: Sandy Tolman

 




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Discovery Inclusion Slideshow

"We are working for an inclusive Canada, beginning with the early years."

Debra Mayer, Director-SpeciaLink, the National Centre for Child Care Inclusion