Community Based Services
- You Can Cook! Cook Book (Link will open on Information Page. Click the back button to return here.)
- Life Skills Manual (Link will open on Information Page. Click the back button to return here.)
- Infant Development Program
- Special Services to Children
- Teen and Pre-Teen Social Program
- Transition and Employment Services
- Adult Life Skills
- STAGE
- Summer Bursary
- Program Handbooks (Link will open on Information Page. Click the back button to return here.)
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Infant Development Program (IDP)
The Infant Development Program provides home based early intervention services to families with children from birth to three years of age who are experiencing delays in their development, or who are at risk for developmental delay.
Home visits are made on a regular basis by professional staff to assist the family in planning learning activities and to utilize appropriate community resources. Opportunities for parents to meet and support each other are provided through regular drop-in groups and classes organized on topics of interest to families.
Resource library materials of books and toys are also available for loan to families. Referrals can be made directly to the IDP.
Contact:Donna Colodey, Manager of the Infant Development Program at 604.986.1358
Special Services to Children
This program is for individuals between the ages of 5 and 18. Each person along with their family or support network develops a plan in order to be successful in reaching specific goals in community settings.Participants enjoy fun, skill-building activities with their one to one support worker who is suitably matched with the individual for the best possible outcome.Average hours of service are 5hrs per week.
Referrals are required from the Ministry of Children and Families (MCFD). MCFD is responsible for the order of acceptance and can be reached at 604.904.4300.
Private non-referral contracts can be negotiated with the NSDRC on an individual basis. Contact the Director of Community Based Services at 604.904.4090 for more information.
View the Community Based Services Handbook (pdf).
Teen and Pre-Teen Social Program
This weekend program is for individuals between the ages of 9 and 18. Participants enjoy recreational activities and community outings with their peers while building social and life skills.They are actively involved in planning activities and meet as a group at the beginning of every month to create a recreation plan.This program runs on Saturday afternoons and is only closed on statutory holiday weekends.
Referrals are required from the Ministry of Children and Families (MCFD). MCFD is responsible for the order of acceptance and can be reached at 604.904.4300.
Private non-referral contracts can be negotiated with the NSDRC on an individual basis. Contact the Director of Community Based Services at 604.904.4090 for more information.
View the Community Based Services Handbook (pdf).
Transition and Employment Services
A service to help young people and their families move through the transition process and to provide supports toward employment.
How we can help…
- Assist youth with disabilities to transition into the government services system
- Develop a transition plan for your future
- Provide information regarding transition and employment
- Facilitate workshops and information sessions
- Link you to services and resources in the community
- Attend school transition IEP meetings by request
- Job Club and employment workshops for job seekers
- Job development supports
- Individual appointments are available
To speak to the Transition and Employment Facilitator call:
604 904-4075 or 604 985-5371 email: g.kopperson@nsdrc.org
Adult Life Skills
This service is for adults aged 19 and over who have disabilities and are interested in continuing to learn life skills. Participants choose a variety of life skills to learn at home or in community settings, assisted by a worker selected by the participant and their family or support network.
Referrals are required from Community Living BC (CLBC) www.communitylivingbc.ca. CLBC is responsible for the order of acceptance and can be reached at 604.981.0321. On average, CLBC allocates program participants with 4 hours of service per week and reviews their progress bi-annually.
Private non-referral contracts can be negotiated with the NSDRC on an individual basis. Contact the Director of Community Based Services at 604.904.4090 for more information.
View the Community Based Services Handbook (pdf).
STAGE (Supportive Transition Adult Group Education)
STAGE is a transition service for young adults that facilitates growth and independence in educational, vocational and social skills after completing high school.
This program is designed for individuals with disabilities who want to improve academic, work and life skills and will transition out of the service within 1-4 years to access other educational or employment related services and opportunities. This service is best suited to those who wish to further their independence through community-based activities and do not require one to one assistance.
STAGE offers a varied schedule based on the goals of the participants:
- Functional academics (Smart Readers, Math 2 Go, Money Skills )
- Skill development (bus skills, office skills, basic computer skills)
- Work skill training through community volunteering
- Employment exploration through Informational interviews and tours with local businesses and services
To apply to the STAGE Program you must first call Community Living British Columbia (CLBC) at 604.981.0321 and speak to a Facilitator. The Facilitator will assist you with developing a plan and if appropriate will make a referral to the program on your behalf.
View the course schedule (PDF).
View the STAGE Handbook (PDF).
Summer Bursary
The NSDRC has been providing a program for children who require extra support during the summer months since 1978. The structure and opportunity for social interactions that school provides are not available, and many recreational programs are not equipped to provide the support required by children and youth with disabilities. The NSDRC Summer Bursaries financially help families to ensure that all children/youth are able to attend a summer camp program of their choice.
Bursaries are funded from many different sources. In addition to agency fundraising dollars, a large contribution is made by Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD). Other funding sources include the Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund, CKNW, CIBC Wood Gundy, municipalities of the City of North Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver, and the District of West Vancouver. We wish to thank them for their ongoing support.
What is the purpose of the bursary?
The purpose of the Summer Program Bursary is to provide financial support for North Shore children and youth ages 3 to 18 with disabilities. These children/youth require extra support to attend a summer recreation and/or leisure program of their choice.
How can the bursary be used?
The Summer Program Bursary is for programming during July and August of each year. Children and youth can engage in activities in their community. Families are responsible for selecting the program they wish their child/youth to attend. Generally families register their child/youth in a day camp at a local community centre. Some families choose other options that are more suitable to the needs of their child/youth.
What bursaries are available?
There are two options for the Summer Program Bursary:
The NSDRC provides a bursary to help pay for camp fees.
OR
The NSDRC provides a bursary to the family to hire a worker of their choice to support their child/youth at summer camp.
How the funding is allocated?
The NSDRC’s Summer Program Bursary strives to provide an opportunity for all applicants. A committee of community partners helps the NSDRC to provide funding in an equitable and fair manner.
When requests exceed the funding available or if the funding exceeds requests, allocations are distributed based on the needs of the child and the level of support they are currently receiving.
Families are encouraged to contact the Director of Community Based Services if they have extenuating circumstances. We work closely with our community partners so that families can be supported in the best way possible. Our community partners are the Ministry of Children and Family Development, North Shore Supported Child Development Program, North Shore Neighbourhood House, North and West Vancouver Recreation Centre’s and the Vancouver Coastal Health Region.
How to apply?
The 2013 Summer Bursary Applications are now closed.
Receipts for Hours Worked will be available in July.
For more information contact Kathleen Jessop, 604-904-4090/ k.jessop@nsdrc.org.
