Education centre helps with kids and families – nearby
Callan Forrester – LJI reporter
When a child needs extra support in school, it can be frustrating for parents if access to resources and services is difficult or even non-existent. Kathleen Ledoux aims to help with these barriers and has launched the Bla Bla Bla Centre professionnel pour enfants in Huntingdon.
Ledoux provides services related to extra education for kids and support for their parents. The organization offers help with language stimulation, orthopedagogy, massage for children, social work, tutoring services, and more. “We’re here for anything related to children who have extra support needs,” she says.
The organization started when Ledoux was feeling the strain of the lack of services nearby. “I’m a mom of four boys, and I have kids who need extra support. I was trying to get them evaluated and had to follow up each week. There was almost nothing in the region to help us; we had to go to Valleyfield or Montreal to be evaluated.” She struggled to understand why she was having to drive so far just to take care of her children. With this organization, she says she hopes “to give people services without having to cross a bridge. We’re capable of having them here as well.”
She explains, “At its core, what is important is giving people joy in expression. Yes, the kids are small, but they can tell us what they need.” She says it’s important that parents listen to their children’s needs and take them seriously. At the same time, she also wants to make sure that parents feel supported. “After all meetings, we meet with the parents and give them tricks,” she shares. This helps the work continue outside of the centre.
Getting children diagnosed as soon as possible ensures that both students and parents can be set up for success. “Having our children diagnosed helps parents to have different resources at school if necessary; we offer follow-ups afterwards by specialists and help parents to find solutions so that things go better at home or at school.” Ledoux says. Her message is that the most important thing is having respect and giving everyone the tools they need to thrive and develop.
Something else Ledoux mentions is the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the development of children. Kids that were born at the beginning of the pandemic are now almost ready to start kindergarten. “There is more demand for language stimulation than before; the children had a lack of socialization during COVID and the masks didn’t help language development at all,” she explains.
One of the more unexpected (and exciting) services offered involves therapy with miniature horses. “They’re so small they fit in my car when I transport them,” Ledoux says. These animals are helpful for folks of all ages and have been a huge favourite at Bla Bla Bla. “We go to early childhood centres, schools, old folks’ homes, birthday parties, and more. It brings a lot of joy to people when we show up; some people cry from excitement when they see us, and that fills us with joy,” she says.
For Ledoux, the best part about the organization is “seeing the kids with their smiles when they come in, and them not wanting to leave because they loved their workshop so much.” She is thrilled to see it resonating with people and hopes to see it continue to grow. “The more we can help, the better off we will be. There are kids who need help whose parents don’t know where to go or who to see. This will be beneficial for everyone.”
Bla Bla Bla is planning new programs, but there must be interest for them to actually happen. For more information and to see what programs are being offered currently, check out the Facebook page, Bla Bla Bla – Centre Professionnel pour Enfants.
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