Communities Together for Children

Communities Together for Children is a leading agency in Thunder Bay in support of the healthy development and holistic wellbeing of children, families, and caregivers. They provide access to inclusive programs and services that are responsive to community needs.

Created in 1995, Communities Together for Children has changed over the years to become an EarlyON Child and Family Centre that provides support, resources and services to children and families in their community at two sites – the Northwood EarlyON, and as a partner at the Early Years Community Site.

The Northwood EarlyON has several programs, such as Babies Day, a Dad’s Group, Time with Toddlers, Connect for children with disabilities and their siblings, library services, and an EarlyON the Go!, a van that is loaded up and used to run drop-in sessions at various parks. There is also an Indoor Active Playspace as the climate in Thunder Bay doesn’t always allow for regular physical activity for young children. The space allows children to ride a tricycle, climb through tunnels and more, providing all children and families the opportunity to be more physically active all year round.

Community partnerships are at the core of our agency values and are viewed as integral to encouraging healthy child development. One example is an organization called Silent Voice that hosts sessions every Saturday for improving communication and relationships between Deaf and hearing family members and Deaf and hearing members of the community. Another is the Thunder Bay District Health Unit that provides lactation support bi-weekly.

“The service and play space you provide is invaluable in our community. I am extremely grateful for your program and staff. Our visits got me through some of the harder days of my maternity leave. As I neared my transition back to work, your staff were supportive and helpful in listening to my concerns about daycare and offering professional insights.”

– Community Member

Additionally, Communities Together for Children partners with several other EarlyON programs in Thunder Bay to provide the Early Years Community Site. The site is located in Intercity Mall and is a place where children 0-6 years of age and their families can come and play, engage with each other.

This community site hosts many additional agencies across Thunder Bay, providing information to families on topics like speech and language, parenting programs, and child development. United for Literacy visits every Tuesday to provide early literacy learning resources for all children and families accessing the site.

Communities Together for Children is focused on their strategic priorities of creating a community hub that provides comprehensive wrap-around services, participating in outreach opportunities through community events, providing opportunities for families to be exposed to physical literacy options, collaborating with community partners to enhance services for families, inviting relevant community professionals to join existing programs to support families, and collaborating with other EarlyON programs to strengthen capacity.

www.ctctbay.org