YMCA Three Rivers preparing to take over Stratford EarlyON Family Center from Perth Care for Kids

Stratford’s EarlyON Family Center – a free education and resource center for families with infants and young children – will be moving from the Falstaff Family Center at the beginning of next year when the YMCA of Three Rivers takes over operations from Perth Care For Kids, the organization that has operated the family center for more than two decades.

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In a letter sent out to families in September, the change was announced by Stratford social services manager of children’s services Darren Barkhouse following the completion of a request for proposals for new EarlyON service contracts. The new agreement covers the next three years, with the potential for two additional one-year expansions. Currently, Stratford social services and the City of Stratford work with three service providers – the Municipality of North Perth, the Town of St. Marys and Perth Care For Kids – to support the operation and delivery of EarlyON Family Center programs.

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As a result of the new agreements, the local YMCA will take over operations of the Stratford family center from Perth Care For Kids while that organization will continue operating family centers in West Perth, Perth East and Perth South. The Municipality of North Perth will also continue operating EarlyON family center programs in Listowel, Monkton and North Perth, and the Town of St. Marys will continue operating the family center program there.

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“We recognize there will be a transition of services primarily in the Stratford area, and we are committed to supporting all parties involved for a smooth changeover to provide minimal disruptions for program families,” Barkhouse said in the letter. “As programming changes hands in the coming months, we will be providing further updates on program schedules and program offerings to further enhance what we are currently providing the community.”

In an email from YMCA of Three Rivers, the organization said it will be running EarlyON programs beginning on Jan. 1 from both the Stratford YMCA on Downie Street and the Stratford Education and Recreation Center on Oakdale Avenue. Popular programs like Play & Learn, Baby Time, Infant Massage, Baby Connections and more will continue to be offered between both locations.

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“We’re really excited to be offering the services and really see it as a natural complement to the services we’re already offering in Stratford,” YMCA of Three Rivers vice-president of community programs Marika Chandler said in an interview. “Those include our health-and-wellness facility, our youth programming, immigrant services team, and a natural connection is the childcare services we do have in Stratford. EarlyON is yet another way that the Y can help support children and families in Stratford.”

Chandler said the local YMCA has been working closely with Perth Care For Kids, which has operated the EarlyON programs at the Falstaff Family Center since 2002, on a smooth transition. In conversation between the two organizations, Chandler said Perth Care For Kids shared many of its most popular programs, which the YMCA intends to continue both in person and virtually when it launches in the new year.

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As the EarlyON programming begins under the YMCA’s umbrella, Chandler said staff will draw from the YMCA’s previous experience operating EarlyON programs in the Waterloo Region. This, Chandler added, could involve additional programs at the Stratford family center.

“We are looking to have our programming calendar up. I know a lot of folks are keen and interested to see what’s going to be on that, so you can watch the website for information. That’s going to be coming up in a couple weeks,” Chandler said.

Parents who would like additional information on EarlyON family center programming can also email questions to [email protected]he added.

As for Perth Care For Kids, the non-renewal of its EarlyON contract with the City of Stratford means an end to its more-than-two-decade tenure at the Falstaff Family Center on Waterloo Street North. Over that time, Perth Care For Kids executive director Jean Ann Goll said the organization provided advice and education to Stratford parents and connected them with many different community partner organizations, including the local public health unit, the STAR Family Health Team, the local Children’s Aid Society and the Huron-Perth Centre.

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“We’re hoping that there will be a smooth transition. … Any operator that is providing EarlyON programs must follow the mandatory core services that are provided. …Those include engaging parents and caregivers, doing the parent education, providing the pre- and post-natal supports, doing targeted programs for those that are most vulnerable, supporting early learning and child development with the kids, and making connections for families through either referrals or having our community partners in attendance at our program so we can do that warm handoff. The YMCA of Three Rivers will be expected to provide those… services,” Goll said.

“The big thing for us is our staff have built many, many relationships with the families and the children,” Goll added, “so I think we’re definitely sad about that piece. We had a farewell open house the other night for families just to provide a bit of closure and to say our farewells. We will still be operating EarlyON programs. We’re still operating in Perth East, which includes Sebringville and Milverton … and we do actually have families from Stratford traveling to those programs. So we invite them and we’ll still be open to all in attendance, and definitely we’ll carry on with our EarlyON programs in West Perth, Perth East and Perth South.”

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As for Stratford EarlyON family center staff, Goll said Perth Care For Kids is working to relocate them across its other Perth County centres.

As for the Falstaff Family Center itself, building owner and director Loreena McKennitt described the EarlyON family center and Perth Care For Kids anchor tenants of the building in a recent release. McKennitt will host a community meeting at the Falstaff Family Center from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm on Dec. 5 to help determine the building’s future.

“I have felt a tremendous responsibility to the community, the individuals and the organizations who continue to call Falstaff their home and to ensure that whenever there is a transition, their interests will be front and center,” McKennitt said in the release. “This is a significant heritage property, and one which provides many uses for the neighborhood. I hope that through a thorough community consultation, its next iteration will see a continuation of service to children and families of all kinds.”

Neither the City of Stratford nor Stratford social services returned a request for comment about the change in service providers.

[email protected]

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