By Robin McMillan, CCCF Innovator Projects, Programs & Partnerships
It was over a year ago that a neighbour pulled me aside and said “Your son is great with my kids.” I agreed and said what I usually say, “yes Ewan loves kids.” This time however, I took a minute and really listened to what she said and received her real meaning. He is great with my kids. Having spent my entire career in this field, I started to think….perhaps my son could have a future working with young children and their families.
Ewan, an impressive 6’1”, 17-year-old at the time, has always loved hanging out with kids who were younger. The younger playmates were a softer landing for him. They were more accepting of his slower processing speed and his speech challenges. They enjoyed his outgoing attitude, enthusiasm and curiosity and didn’t tease him or give him a hard time. They loved the attention from the big kid.
“As I thought, Ewan has skills and abilities that are a great fit with this work. He was helpful and enjoyed “working with the kids”. I witnessed his self-esteem and confidence grow. He loves telling people that “he helps little kids”. The centre said it was particularly helpful to have a male volunteer and the kids really enjoyed his outgoing nature and the kids flocked to him”
Was Ewan born intuitive, empathetic and sensitive or has he become that way because of his challenges? Either way, those are some of his strongest characteristics, especially relating to young children. Maybe a career in early learning and child care for Ewan would be worth looking into. I was inspired by hearing about an ECE assistant with a mild intellectual disability working for my friend Raquel at her child care centre in Winnipeg. While the position of a full ECE may not be possible due to the academic requirements, an ECE Assistant position could be possible for him.
I reached out to the Early Learning Centre (the child care centre he attended when he was a preschooler) last summer to see if he could be a good fit. He volunteered for a few hours a week and it went well. When Ewan’s school mentioned they were organizing “work experiences” for the students in his class this spring, I thought it could be great, he could do that in a child care setting. I was told that was not possible. The school had tried that a few years ago and it wasn’t successful. They also said there were police checks and other requirements that he wouldn’t be able to get done. That didn’t seem right to me. I had seen Ewan’s interest and potential in this environment last summer. Surely there was a way. If the school couldn’t set up this work experience for him, then I would.
In fact, I went further and set it up as a “work co-op” experience instead. Meaning, he would meet all the onboarding requirements and not have the school’s Educational Assistant on site with him as with the work experience option. He would also receive the co-op credit for it. I felt he could do it and it could be a meaningful job experience for him.
Having connections and front-line experience in child care settings helped me navigate the hurdles. I approached a child care centre close to our home, the newly opened Mooney’s Bay Intergenerational Early Learning Centre initiated by Andrew Fleck Child Care Services. The centre director Paulette was supportive from the start. For Ewan to volunteer and do a co-op placement, he had to follow the onboarding requirements and complete four online training certificates. While he couldn’t have done that on his own, we did it together and it provided us an opportunity to discuss what accommodations in the workplace mean and what his rights are in the workplace as well as someone with a mild intellectual disability.
Ewan started to volunteer at the child care in late April. He was there, every Wednesday afternoon from 12- 4:30 pm and for 4 full days in June. I continued to advocate for him and served as his job coach. I reached out to his direct lead in the preschool room and asked for feedback. I was able to offer some suggestions and it was a positive experience for all. As I thought, Ewan has skills and abilities that are a great fit with this work. He was helpful and enjoyed “working with the kids”. I witnessed his self-esteem and confidence grow. He loves telling people that “he helps little kids”. The centre said it was particularly helpful to have a male volunteer and the kids really enjoyed his outgoing nature and the kids flocked to him.
Looking ahead, his next goal is to get one of the paid program assistant jobs in the child care setting. After he finishes high school, perhaps that will turn into an ECE Assistant position. Of course, he would have to balance that off with his other interests, one of which is becoming a sports team mascot. He has already job shadowed one and has plans to volunteer with another one. Oh well, it doesn’t hurt to have options!
