Meagan McLeod is hoping next month’s opening of Inclusive Milestones Child Development Centres will help fill some much-needed gaps for children's and families in Barrie.
McLeod, who holds an honours degree in speech and language sciences and a graduate certificate as a communicative disorders assistant, is the centre’s co-founder and clinical director. She told BarrieToday that after moving to Barrie a year ago, she immediately the noticed the lack of services available in the city for children with autism and other 'exceptionalities'.
That made her realize that Barrie was the perfect place to bring Inclusive Milestones Child Development Centres, which will feature a team of “multi-disciplinary, passionate child-centred providers who cater to the needs of children of all abilities.”
The centre will provide an inclusive space for any child with a learning disability or any exceptional traits, as well as a variety of different services and programming, she said.
“We have the speech therapy department, we have our ABA (applied behavioural analysis) department (and) we have summer camps programs,” McLeod said. “We have a school academy program where we have a kindergarten classroom as well as an elementary classroom.
"Kids are able to come to us for a full day of school instead of going to the public classroom if that’s a better fit for them.”
The centre will also offer parent coaching programs, life skills and social skills programs to help kids who may be struggling to make friends, give them a safe space and peers to build that group of friends with, she added.
“I really wanted to give these kids a voice to be heard, to be recognized and to be validated — and a space where they can come and feel safe and welcomed with open arms," McLeod said.
Opening an autism centre has always been a dream of hers.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. We moved here and I noticed the lack of services available locally to our kiddos who are diagnosed with autism or other exceptionalities,” she said, adding every route she’s ever taken in life has always led her to autism.
“I have just had a special place in my heart for these kids. My cousin has Down syndrome and I feel like I’ve always been dedicated to giving them a quality service that doesn’t already exist," McLeod added. "These kids are smart and have so many things to offer that are often overlooked because of that label that’s put on them."
McLeod is hopeful the centre, which is currently at the final stages of construction at the Commerce Park Drive facility in south-end Barrie — and will officially open the doors to families on May 16 — will mean Simcoe County families will no longer have to travel to the GTA to get the quality services they need, instead being free to access it within their own backyard.
“The early intervention piece for these kids is so crucial. At a very young age, they can be diagnosed, and then parents are often given a stack of papers with what they need to do (but) there’s no place for them to actually go,” she said. “Having that in their own community is huge.”
Being a “one-stop shop” will also benefit families, she pointed out.
“Instead of having to do speech on Mondays and ABA on Tuesdays ... it’s all in house. They can come to us and access all of the services they need. Life is busy as it is… (so) it’s really hard to carve out an extra hour or two or three to travel outside of the community for an hour of speech therapy for your kid.”
McLeod encourages anyone looking for information to reach out and to know they are welcome at the centre.
“We are a super welcoming group of professionals and we are here to make you feel like you have a second home — for you and your kids — here at the centre," she said. "We want to know your kids by name and we want people to feel confident that their kids are going to get the services they need here. The background with all of our staff is what makes us a really great team.”
