Ottawa Collaborative for Parenting Support
Cette page en français, cliquez ici.
Officially launched in 2015, the Ottawa Collaborative for Parenting Support (OCPS), operates as a task group of the Ottawa Child & Youth Initiative. It is a community of partners working together to build resilient families that can support their children’s healthy development, feel empowered, and are able to cope with the ups and downs of everyday living.
Download our 5Ws to learn more about the task group, and contact info@growingupgreat.ca if you want to join the OCPS to represent your agency.
OCPS Workshops
The Ottawa Collaborative for Parenting Support hosts workshops to support organization staff in their work with parents.
Save the date for a two part workshop about play for non-parental caregivers on November 2 and December 7 at 7 pm on Zoom. Both workshops will be facilitated by Marnie Power, RSW, MEd of Playful Mindset. The workshops are designed for participants to attend both workshops, and participants are strongly encouraged to register for both sessions.
Note: These workshops are specifically for non-parental caregivers, such has home childcare providers (licensed or not), kin/extended family, or nannies. This is not for parents or providers at centre-based care or EarlyON/playgroups. Questions: info@growingupgreat.ca
Workshop One: Playing with Play: An Introduction to Outdoor Play-Based Learning for Children in the Early Years
- Thursday, November 2, 7-8:30 pm on Zoom
- Description: This workshop will explore how caregivers can play with play, and how we can embrace the muddy, imperfect and playful opportunities that support children to thrive. We’ll explore some of the research behind play-based learning, and more importantly how we can bring more play into our practice and our lives with the children and families we serve. Concepts we’ll explore include how to prepare and plan to be outdoors, how we can navigate risk, how to create practices that will embed play into the culture of our programs, and our role as adults in children’s play.
- Register for part 1: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIkdOCsrjMpHt0KUav-4yx8pKKBdqZhAA2n
Workshop Two: The Possibilities for Play & Wonder in Wintertime
- Thursday, December 7, 7-8:30 pm on Zoom
- Description: When we work with children we know that getting out to a park or into a nearby greenspace can be easier in the summer, but in the winter we have to deal with the cold, unpredictable weather AND all the gear that comes with it (including missing mitts, wet snowsuits, cold toes, and a frozen nose, or two)! This workshop will explore the benefits of playing in ALL seasons and weather, and tips and tricks for planning, preparing and even ENJOYING playing outdoors in the wintertime with our children.
- Register for part 2: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcodeioqjMiH9wejqDfg-xOxJPtJOtPVH6M
Why a Collaborative Strategy?
In Ottawa, a collaborative approach has been selected to address the need for parenting support. A collaborative approach will potentially allow for improved access to services while maximizing resources in an attempt to better support families.
Guiding Principles for our Strategy
A positive approach to parent support, which encourages parents to take on responsibility, which is founded in family and community strength and support, and which encourages parent engagement and participation in their child's development.
A Strategy Founded in Evidence-Based Practices
A strategy which is based in research, experience and expertise, as well as data literacy and the ability to make effective use of community data resources. This strategy will aim to develop a common messaging around parenting in Ottawa, and a common evaluation for the institutions and services in our community which are designed to support parents to help their children to grow up great.
An Inclusive Strategy
Transparent, accessible services adapted to the needs of the parents in the Ottawa community, as well as supporting resources which reflect the diversity of the parents and families in Ottawa.
A Durable Strategy
A long term strategy to which many community organizations and services are committed and engaged, which is malleable and flexible - capable of adapting to new parenting needs in Ottawa as they arise.
Our Strategy Objectives:
Our Collaborative Parenting Support Strategy aims to:
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Engage parents in their child/youth's social and academic development
- Model and support best practices to ensure that programs and services designed to support parents in Ottawa are of the highest quality
- Provide parents with the necessary means and information to access services and resources available to them in the community
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Expand and develop current information resources available, to ensure documents provided to parents/clients are clear and appropriate.
- Facilitate access and orientation to services for parents which are best suited to meet the needs of their family
The Ottawa Collaborative for Parenting Support is proud to share the Just Ask Campaign which supports our strategic goal to enable access to programs and services by strengthening information resources. Click to learn more.
