Reflecting on Our Journey: Milestones and Progress at the Centre Over the Years
- Koryn Heisler
- Oct 17
- 3 min read
Over the last few months, I have been reflecting on the progress and changes made at the centre. When we opened our doors in May 2022, the centre was quiet and we were working hard to connect with parents and service providers to fill our space.
There is one day in particular that stuck out in my mind, and I had posted about it on Instagram. We had been open for almost a year and it was a busy Friday afternoon at the centre. The space was being utilized by multiple providers, we had teen club and our after school program running and I was overjoyed to see all of the people in the centre. It was what I had envisioned for the space when we opened our doors.
It is nice to look back on this memory and remember how hard I had worked to get to this place. There are still struggles and challenges, but they have greatly changed since that first year.
Our Admin team and I meet weekly to review our programs, staffing, and any conerns from the week or to review any goals we are working towards. One common topic at these meetings is the use of space; we often discuss how we are going to fit all of the programs and providers into the space, and how we can best share the space during our busiest times at the centre. I remember coming home one evening and discussing how I was going to fit everyone in during the after school hours, and he reminded me how far the centre has come. When I had opened, I could only dream of having this problem, and now I have the privilege of working alongside many providers and staff that share the same goals and vision for our participants. We are all working collaboratively to support our children and families, and it is such a pleasure to see everyone come together and support each other.
When dreaming of building the centre, I had always hoped for a beautiful, calm space filled with sensory materials and furniture that could be flexibly moved throughout the centre. I quickly learned that our budget was being stretched with construction costs and that some of these items would need to be put on a wishlist and purchased as we had the funds available. I slowly added items as I was able, and then this year was fortunate enough to be chosen for some grants that allowed me to make some bigger equipment purchases and to create a second sensory room.
Here are some updates we have made in the centre in the last year:
We were able to purchase a mobile sensory cart, new soft play materials, accessible seating options, and a variety of new toys and materials. We would like to thank the Government of Canada as this project is funded in part by the Government of Canada's Enabling Accessibility Fund.
We were also able to update our waiting area and get new signage for the front of the building. The signage was funded in part by American Express through Toronto
Metropolitan University, DMZ under the Backing Canadian Small Businesses grant program.
We still have some big goals that we are working on at the centre, such as filling our daytime programming and expanding our service provider spaces. It feels as though that the pressure to do these things has subsided, and we can grow the business organically and as opportunities arise.
I am excited to see what is coming up for the business in the next year. We are always looking for ways to connect with more families and providers, so feel free to reach out if you have any connections or suggestions of programming you would like to see.
Take care,
Koryn
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