• Alpine Skiing –Contact: Elizabeth MacRitchie, Program Director – (250)561-1524 – emacritchie@shaw.ca. Cost: $45 annual membership; Resort offers free lift passes and equipment to BC Adaptive Snowsport members. Description: Located at the Hart Highlands Winter Club. BC Adaptive Snowsports promotes and supports the sport of adapted skiing and snowboarding as a form of recreation and rehabilitation for all participants.
• BC Children’s Family Library: The library ships resources for free anywhere in BC.
• CanAssist, from the University of Victoria, provides an interesting service to help individuals with special needs. They develop one-off projects to assist with specific day-to-day needs.
• Child Development Centre Libraries. The CDC has an orthotics, equipment, and resource library available to the public. The CDC also houses the Northern BC Children and Family Hearing Society’s resource library.
• CNIB Library Services: resources for individuals that are blind or with vision loss.
• Challenger Little League. Contact: Cathy McLean – (250)964-0960     Cost: $30/year. Description: For mentally and physically challenged kids aged 4 to 18 years. No previous baseball skills are required. Willing to accommodate for anything, wheelchairs are welcome, and buddy system is available. Runs indoor from March to April and outdoor from May to June.
• The Family Support Network of BC (FSI) is is a provincial not for profit society committed to supporting families who have a family member with a disability through a peer to peer support model.
• KidSport. The Prince George Chapter can be reached at (250)565-5180 (Vonda) Email: pgkidsport@gmail.com
  Description: A community based sport-funding program which provides grants for children 18 and under to participate in a sport season of their choice. Grants of a maximum of $300 are to be used for payment towards sport participation/registration fee over a 12 month period (can be 2 x $150 programs).
• Leisure Access Program. Contact: Community Services Department (250)561-7640 – pick up an application at the Canfor Leisure Pool, The Aquatic Centre or City Hall. Drop off at Community Services Dept – 1100 Patricia Blvd, PG, BC, V2L 3V9. Eligibility: Applicant must reside in Prince George or surrounding areas. Receive Income Assistance from the Ministry of Housing and Social Development or assistance from MCFD, Community Living, Carrier Sekani Family Services or Nezul Be Hunuyeh Child and Family Services. Have an income the previous year that is below Stats Canada Low Income Guidelines. And/or Receive a BC Seniors Supplement that is below the Low Income Guidelines. Description: A subsidy program that provides an opportunity for individuals with limited income to participate in a variety of recreational activities. LAP clients receive 52 complimentary swim or skate admissions as well as receive a discount of up to 75% off programs such as swimming lessons or community association programs. To download the form click here.

• The Métis Early Years Program offers services for children Métis descent from birth to 8 years old, helping families connect with varous local programming and services.
• The Tiny Light Foundation offers a wonderful service, providing free professional photography to families with children who are faced with life altering diagnosis, disease, or special needs. Their Facebook page is at www.facebook.com/TinyLight.
• University Hospital of Northern BC – Paediatric Social Worker. Phone: (250)565-2079. Provides children and their families with counselling support, hospital transfers, and resource information.
• Therapeutic Riding Association. Contact: Barb Warkentine (250)962-5082 or pgtra2@gmail.com Cost: $10 annually, and $10 per session.
  Eligibility: Must be 3 ½ and up and have a physical or mental disability. Description: Horseback riding from April to mid-October.
• The Leisure Access Program  The (LAP) provides opportunities for residents with limited income to participate in a variety of aquatic activities. Leisure Access participants receive: 52 complimentary public swimming admissions. 75 percent off all swim passes once the 52 complimentary admissions have been used. 75 percent off swimming programs ($50.00 credit maximum) such as swimming lessons. See above link for eligibility and for the application. Also, Attendants (any person who needs to assist another adult or child to swim)  swim for free at both locations (Aquatic Centre and Canfor Leisure pool).
• inGirls Club: A social club for girls with neuro-developmental differences.  Run by parents and volunteers, inGirls Club is a registered charity and fully inclusive.  Membership is free, and events are free.  Visit their website or contact northernbc@ingirlsclub.com for more information.

Behaviour Interventionists

Pivot Point (Formerly NIBIS). Courtney Wickstrom (250) 649-6943.  Courtney.Wickstrom@pivotpoint.ca

T&K Behavoural Interventionists Ltd. Kalma Arnett. Behaviour consultant and behavioral intervention services. (250)613-2947, email: tkkalma@gmail.com

Gateway Behavioural Services. (250) 645-0995 ​info@gatewaybehaviour.com. 

Sources Community Resource Society (250)561-1194, 1596 Third Avenue, Prince George

Private Speech Language Pathologists

Beata Polanska. 1696 Larch St., Prince George, BC. beatapolanska@hotmail.com phone: 250-981-4697

Rianne Grooten. hartforspeech@yahoo.com  Children of all ages welcome.

Soliloquy Solutions. Barbara Kayter. 2387 McTavish Rd. Prince George. bkayter@telus.net phone: 250-563-4080

• BC Family Residence Program on behalf of the Government of BC/Provincial Health Services Authority to provide accommodation assistance for families while a child requires care at BC Children’s Hospital and/or Sunny Hill Health Centre, BC Cancer Agency (Vancouver location) and babies in the Neo-natal unit at BC Women’s Hospital. Email: bcfrp@variety.bc.ca
• Prince George Transit Handy Dart Contact: (250)562-1394. Eligibility: You must have special needs that prevent you from taking regular transit. Description: Provides services from Monday through Friday from 7:30 am-5:30 pm , Thursday evenings till 9:30 pm Saturdays from 9:30 am – 5:30 pm. Must be booked 24–48 hours in advance. Office is closed for booking on weekends.
• David Foster Foundation Society. Phone (250)475-1223. Provides financial support for non-medical expenses to Canadian families with children in need of life-saving organ transplants. Support may include: transportation costs, accommodation, long distance phone calls, meals and groceries, etc. For children up to and including their 18th birthday once they are listed for pediatric transplant to post-operative check-up.
• Easter Seal House. Phone: 604-736-3475 Reservations: 1-800-818-3666 email:  3981 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC. Provides a low cost, caring place to stay for parents and children visiting Vancouver to obtain medical treatment. $18.00 per night – adult. sick child free. $7.00 additional child. Kitchen facilities. Free parking
• Heather House. Phone: (604)875-2298. 4500 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC. Located in BC Children’s Hospital, Heather House offers rooms for families with patient attending the hospital as an in or outpatient. $45.00 per night. $10.00 refundable key deposit. $5.00/night roll away cot. Cribs – no charge. No meals, cafeteria/coffee shop on site.
  Paid parking on site.
• Hope Air. Arranges free flights to get financially-disadvantaged Canadians to the healthcare they need.
• Northern B.C. Friends of Children Society. Phone: (250)564-2217. Eligibility: Provides resource information and emotional support as well as offering financial assistance for emergency prescriptions, counselling, advocacy and resource referral. Child must be under 18 years, live north of Williams Lake, and must have specific medical needs.
• Northern Health Connections. Phone: (888) 647-4997 or email: NHConnections@northernhealth.ca. Provides inexpensive and comfortable bus transportation for northern patients needing to travel for medical appointments. Fees are $10-$20 each way depending on route. Rates and schedules can be found on the NH website.
• Oracle Health Foundation provides pediatric case grants for medicine, surgeries, travel, and equipment; wellness screenings to elementary school students; social-emotional support and education initiatives to middle school students; health education to high school students.
• Ronald McDonald House provides safe, secure home-away-from-home where out-of-town families with seriously ill children can stay while their children receive medical treatment in Vancouver at BC Children’s Hospital.
• Shriners Care Cruiser. Phone: (800)661-5437. For information on transportation, contact Marina 604-291-7707 ext. 129 or email: marriott@bcshriners.cm. Website: www.bcshriners.com. Provides bus service twice weekly for children with medical appointments from Prince George to Vancouver. Leaving Prince George Sunday and Thursday; returning from Vancouver Saturday and Wednesday. There is typically no fee for service.
  Provides bus service twice weekly for children with medical appointments from Prince George to Vancouver. Leaving Prince George Sunday and Thursday; returning from Vancouver Saturday and Wednesday. There is typically no fee for service.
• Travel Assistance Program, BC Ministry of Health. Phone: 1-800-661-2668. Provincial program offering assistance with travel costs.
• Victory Hill Dorm provides a safe, comfortable and nurturing residential environment for students, aged 5 to 19, who must live away from home in order to attend the British Columbia Provincial School for the Deaf in Burnaby.

• Easter Seal Camps. Description: Sleep-over camp session for children 6-18 years old who have a mental and/or physical disability.
• The Zajac Ranch for Children. Contact: (604)739-0444 or info@zajac.com. Description: Located in Mission, BC, this camp hosts hundreds of children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses and disabilities. The camp has a 24 hour medical centre staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses. The Zajac Ranch allows children with special needs the opportunity to experience the excitement and wonder of summer camp.
• B.C. Parks. Contact: Local human resources office. Description: The purpose of this program is to provide support for persons with disabilities who are also receiving income assistance.
• Camps. Contact: For a referral to many different camps, call (604)731-4847. Description: There are a variety of camping experiences available for children with special care needs. Some of these include Easter Seal Camps (for children with physical and/or mental disabilities), Camp Good Times (for children with Cancer), BC Lung Association Asthma Camp, FAS Camp, Etc., These camps are often free or have financial assistance available for those families who cannot afford to pay.

• The At Home Program provides respite and medical benefits to eligible recipients and their families – generally for individuals with profound delays.
• BC Tech for Learning Society
  The refurbish computers and provide them back to BC based non-profits, schools, and low income individuals.
• BC Housing – Subsidized Housing. Eligibility: To qualify you must be able to live independently and meet all 6 requirements. Description: Long term housing with rent geared to income for people who permanently reside in BC when applying, with gross household income below a certain limit.
• BC Housing – Home Adaptations for Independence (HAFI). Contact: (604)433-2218 OR Toll Free: (800)257-7756. Eligibility: You may be eligible if you are a Canadian Citizen or landed immigrant and reside in British Columbia; You or any member of your household have a permanent disability or loss of ability that causes difficulty with daily living activities; Your total household income and assets are below the limits established. Description: HAFI provides financial assistance to help low income seniors and people with disabilities in BC continue to live in the comfort of their own home. Financial assistance up to $20,000 per home is available; the exact amount is based on the cost of material and labour necessary for required adaptations.
• CKNW Kids’ Fund.  Eligibility: Children from birth to 19 years old, whose needs/circumstances have been assessed and recognized by a medical/health/social or educational professional and for whom an application is supported by a brief statement indicating the problem/condition and recommendations by such assessors; Who don’t qualify for existing services provided by government-sponsored funding, or is on an extensive wait list, have exhausted other sources of financial assistance, or who don’t meet all of the government criteria; Who are financially at risk. This definition does not exclude those children who have medical/social/educational impacts brought about by poverty; Gross family income will be used to consider all grants for those children deemed financially at risk. Description: The CKNW Orphans’ Fund helps children who may require extra medical, social, educational or environmental supports to enhance or improve their health, development, quality of life and community integration. They have a broad mandate, but focus on three funding fields for special needs children that include therapies, specialized equipment and bursaries
  Therapies: Therapies can be funded for up to a maximum of three years and applicants must reapply each year.
  Speech and Language up to $2000.00 at $100.00 per hour.
  Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, horseback riding, music therapy and others up to $2000.00 per year.
  Bursaries: Bursaries for special needs students attending independent provincially approved special education facilities may be provided. A current limit of $1200.00 per individual child per school year for up to 3 consecutive years will be considered.
  Equipment: The maximum funds that are made available annually for an individual child is $5000.00, subject to consideration of special circumstances or hardship. Cost sharing or partnerships with other organizations will be encouraged. Equipment funded by the CKNW Orphans’ Fund becomes property of the family for whom it was purchased.
• Disability Tax Credits are non-refundable tax credit used to reduce income tax payable on the income tax and benefit return for people with severe and prolonged impairment in physical or mental functions
• Endowment 150 provides a one-time contribution of $150 for individuals that have a Registered Disability Savings Plan.
• First Nations Health Authority (FNHA):  This provincial health authority assists Status First Nations people with a broad range of services and health benefits.
• Giving in Action provides two funding programs to assist families that have individuals with special needs living at home, including support for items such as wheelchair accessible vehicles and home renovations
• Home Adaptations for Independence (HAFI) provides up to $20,000 for home renovations to improve accessibility for individuals with special needs. This is specifically for households with low income and limited assets. Landlords with low income tenants may also apply.
• Jordan’s Principle:  This federal program ensures all First Nations children receive the services they need when they need them.  Funding can help with a wide range of health, social and educational needs.
• JGL Foundation for Cerebral Palsy Contact: jglcerebralpalsy@gmail.com Eligibility: To qualify you must be a resident of British Columbia and have a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy. Description: The Jennifer and Gregory Louie Foundation for Cerebral Palsy was started to help both children and adults with Cerebral Palsy enhance their mobility. It is their god to financially assist individuals with CP receive services such as physical and occupational therapy. They also aim to help with funding for assistive technology such as orthotics, manual/power wheelchairs, standers, gait trainers/walkers, lifts, adaptive bicycles and other devices that lead to greater mobility, independence and quality of life. They may consider grants for home modifications/renovations, but it is their philosophy to give smaller grants to more individuals rather than large grants to only a few individuals. So for expensive items, they tend to give partial grants.
• Kidsport provides grands from $100-$500 to cover the costs of registration fees for one season of sport for children of 18 years of age and under, potentially including necessary equipment.
• Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada: Equipment and home renovations for children with muscular dystrophy (MD)
• Oracle Health Foundation. provides funding for individual children—both domestically and globally—who need assistance with clinical necessities (such as surgery, medication and therapy), medical equipment and travel related to care
• Northern Interior Health Unit. Contact: 250-565-7371. Provides testing and prescription of hearing aids and will also order on behalf or families. Cost: Sold at reduced cost via the BC Hearing Aid Program. If parents are unable to afford the aids, the Northern Interior Health Unit will help them access charitable funding.
• Northern B.C. Friends of Children Society. Contact: (250)-564-2217. Eligibility: Child must be under 18 years, live north of Williams Lake, and must have specific medical needs. Description: Provides resource information and emotional support as well as offering financial assistance for emergency prescriptions, counseling, advocacy and resource referral.
• Presidents Choice Children’s Charity. Contact: (866)-996-9918 or email: pccharity@loblaw.ca. Eligibility: To be considered a candidate for assistance, applicants must be 18 and under; diagnosed with a physical or developmental disability; have a household income $70,000 or less and must be a Canadian citizen/or heave permanent resident status. Description: Help support children with special needs by providing financial grants for essential specialized equipment and essential therapies.
• Pharmacare. Phone: 1-800-663-7100. Website: www.health.gov.bc.ca/pharmacare/
  Subsidizes eligible prescription drugs and designated medical supplies for BC residents.
• Registered Disability Savings Plans are a must-have for anyone that has profound special needs and that is eligible for a Disability Tax Credit. As of March 2014, the federal government was allowing individuals that start one of these plans to gain the benefits of government bonds ($1000 each year) back to 2008. It is unclear when this will end. 
• Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of BC. Contact: (604)878-7000 Fax: 604-677-6608 Email: info@sbhabc.org
  Financial assistance is available to active members with Spina Bifida and/or Hydrocephalus to assist with the cost of specialized equipment that will enhance or improve mobility, orthotics, or learning. Specialized equipment that will enhance or improve mobility – maximum $1000 per calendar OR orthotics – maximum $1500 per calendar year. A onetime $500 is available for computers or computer equipment, including printers/
• SET-BC. Contact: (250)562-9650 Fax: (250)-565-4235. Eligibility: Students must demonstrate a significant physical or visual disability which is a primary impediment to educational progress. Students must be registered in a BC public school or a group 1 and 2 Independent School. Description: Provides a long term loan of assistive technology to meet the educational needs of students (switches, adapted keyboards, computers and communication devices.) The Technical Support Team modifies and repairs loan equipment. Must go through the school district to access.
• SFWAC: Supporting Families with Autistic Children Endowment Fund, established by the Basserman Family with the Prince George Community Foundation, provides up to $500 in support to families of children with autism or suspected autism, under 19 years of age.  For details and application, click here.
• TELUS – Adaptive http://searchModels of Communication for the Hearing Impaired. Contact: (800)663-1264. Eligibility: For any age but individual must have the ability to spell. Description: Supplies adaptive communication devices, including big button phones, amplifiers, ringers, voice carry over phones for the hearing impaired; various models of communication devices at a reduced price.
• Variety the Children’s Charity. Phone (604) 320-0505 (#3) or toll free: (800)381-2040 or email: heart.fund@variety.bc.ca Offers financial assistance with medical and mobility equipment, specialized therapists, mental health counsellors, expert tutors, autism assessment (for under 4-year-olds) and psychoeducational assessments.
• Western Institute of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Eligibility: You may be eligible for funding or financial assistance to help purchase hearing aids and/or assisted learning devices if you are on income assistance; attending school and are looking for part time employment or summer employment; you are looking for employment or retraining, you are at imminent risk for losing your job due to your hearing loss; your hearing loss may have resulted from hazardous occupational noise exposure; you are a veteran of RCMP officer; or you have First Nations Status. Description: The Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (WIDHH) provides quality programs and services in Audiology, Employment Counselling, Sign Language Interpreting and Communication Devices for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community.

• Paul Kershaw is well known regarding his academic work regarding developmental programming and opportunity cost of doing too little early in a child’s life.  You can download his paper in the following link, 15 by 15: a Comprehensive Framework for Early Human Capital investment in BC. A brief of the document is available here.
• The Science of Early Childhood Development from Harvard University. A discussion of the tremendous impact of early experiences on a child.
• Introduction to Social and Emotional Learning. this video is done by HELP (the Human Early Learning Project) out of UBC. I addresses the tremendous potential impact that social and emotional development and on a child’s future success.
• Disability Related Information from the Canada Revenue Agency.

• DLTK’s Educational Crafts for Kids
• Fun stuff and activities for kids: National Geographic
• Free Kids’ Crafts and Activities Library
• Up To Ten This site offers a number of free games and activities for children up to 10 years old.
• Funbrain provides a number of on-line computer games for young children.
• Appetite to Play is an interesting site that was developed by Child Health BC. It has lots of information on activities and nutrition

• Disability Alliance BC. Lots of information here, much of it for adults with special needs, but some that are relevant to children and youth as well. The Alliance also publish the excellent Transitions magazine that is available online. Their BC Disability Benefits Help Sheets page also provides lots of potential assistance for those applying for disability benefits.
• Including All Children is a site run by the University of British Columbia. It has some interesting information including some free short courses on child development.
• The Healthy Families BC website is provided by the Province of BC. The site appears to have some good information regarding pregnancy and parenting, Healthy Eating, and Activity and Lifestyle, including some videos and interactive web-based applications.
• Healthy and Active Preschoolers. This site has a substantial amount of information on child health and development. Their “learning centre” is has a number of self-paced learning modules made for early child educators, but that would work well for parents as well.
• Paul Kershaw’s paper 15 by 15: a Comprehensive Framework for Early Human Capital investment in BC the cost of allowing children to enter the school system with biologically unnecessary delays will cost BC $601 billion over the next 40 years. 
• The Science of Early Childhood Development from Harvard University. A discussion of the tremendous impact of early experiences on a child.
• Center on the Developing Child: Harvard University. This site has some very good information. The information looks at the importance of early child development from an academic/policy development perspective.
• Developmental Milestones. This page provides a calendar of developmental milestones.
• Wonder Baby provides information regarding children with visual impairments, including an extensive links page.
• McMaster University has some of the country’s top researchers regarding Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). This issue faces an estimated 5-6% of the school aged population, including many of the children that may have been labeled as clumsy kids. The University has some good information on their site on the disorder for parents and teachers.
• One Minute Per Day, Tips for Healthier Children
• The Centre for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (CECMHC) is an American organization who’s website provides “practical guidance on effective ways to promote young children’s social and emotional development, and reduce challenging behaviors”
• The BCAA’s site has lots of information on buying car seats.
• Ability Online: A place where young people with disabilities and illnesses connect with all kinds of possibilities that address their needs as curious, growing citizens of the planet. They meet and chat with other people like them in a virtual world that transcends boundaries and barriers. They make friends, get tips from mentors, and freely participate in an atmosphere of collaboration, companionship and support.
• Inclusion BC is an active non-profit provincial organization that advocates for the rights and opportunities of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. They are a federation of members that include people with intellectual disabilities, their families and agencies that serve them.

• Appetite to Play is an interesting site that was developed by Child Health BC. It has lots of information on activities and nutrition. It has recopies, meal planning and more.
• The 5-2-1-0 is an excellent concept for positive change and developing positive eating habits for your child. It was developed by the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute.
• Nifty Benefits has some good basic information on children’s nutrition.

Autism:

• Autism Information Database: This is provided by ACT (Autism Community Training) As per the site, they have “over 1,300 autism and special needs resources, sourced internationally and relevant world-wide.
• The Province has a document entitled, A Parent’s Handbook: Your Guide to Autism Programs.
• The 100 day kit is also said to have some important information, especially for parents of children that have recently been diagnosed.
• Unfortunately, most of the research done on autism spectrum disorder has not found to be of good quality. We understand that information on the Research Autism site is generally of a higher quality.

Cerebral Palsy:

• The Cerebral Palsy Association of BC
• Cerebral Palsy Guide
• Cerebral Palsy Guidance

Hemiplegia

• Children’s Hemiplegia & Stroke Association

Hydrocephalus

• Hydrocephalus Association
• Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of Ontario

• Neil Squire Society: Offering free online computer, tablet, smartphone tutoring for individuals with special needs.
• www.hhsc.ca – Hamilton Health Science
• www.pedbase.org – Paediatric Database
• www.sensory-processing-disorder.com – Sensory Processing Disorder Resource Centre
• www.otplan.com – Paediatric OT Activity Search Engine
• www.developmentaldelay.net/page.cfm/289 — Activities to increase non-preferred hand arm use
• www.quisition.com/packs/654/ — Browser based fine motor flash cards
• www.tech4therapists.blogspot.com/ — Technology for Therapists
• www.rch.org.au/emplibrary/ot/InfoSheet.E.pdf — Hand Strengthening Activities
• https://employment-works.ca/— Employment training for adults with autism or other special needs