Recommended Go-To Organizations
Healthy Child Development
Atkinson Centre For Social and Child Development (Ontario Institute of Studies in Education, George Brown College and Red River College): Committed to using the best available evidence on early childhood development to inform public discourse, public policy and professional learning for those who work with young children. Coming soon, the “Early Childhood Education Report: 2021”.
Brock University’s Centre for Lifespan Development Research Institute: Multi-disciplinary collaborative dedicated to studying human development – the social, emotional, cognitive, and neuropsychological development from a variety of perspectives in both typically and atypically developing individuals across the lifespan.
Children’s Healthcare Canada: Accelerating excellence and innovation in health systems caring for children and youth.
Human Early Learning Partnership (University of British Columbia): A collaborative, interdisciplinary research network bringing together scientific viewpoints to address complex early child development issues.
Infant and Child Health (INCH) Lab: Dedicated to understanding the mental and physical health of youth.
Margaret and Wallace McCain Foundation: See “The Early Years Reports” (1,2,3 & 4) by Senator Margaret McCain and Dr. Fraser Mustard/Dr. Stuart Shanker) which is foundation work in the neuroscience of experiential brain development and advocacy for all-day kindergarten and universal access to high-quality pre-school education.
Nexus Health/Best Start: Provides a public health focus on child development, community engagement and partnerships and oversees the “Best Start Resource Centre” with links to the Canadian Paediatric Society and Michael Garron Hospital’s Baby Friendly Initiative (see the “OnTrack Guide”)
Offord Centre for Child Studies: The McMaster University Faculty of Psychiatry and Neurosciences’ research institute on how to improve the lives, health and development of children and youth.
Resilience
CAMH: Provides information on raising resilient children and youth and strengthening personal skills and families.
Offord Centre for Child Studies (McMaster University): Focuses on adverse events in childhood and provides open access to resources to support the development of resilience in youth.
Resilience Research Lab (Vancouver Island University): Supports students in their research, shares knowledge about resilience and helps to develop preventative programs.
Resilience Research Centre (Dalhousie University): Globally recognized leader in resiliency research and education. Also, be sure to check out their easy-to-use guide for anyone working with children and families and for designing programs that build resilience
Stigma and Resilience Amongst Vulnerable Youth Centre (University of British Columbia): Research focused on how stigma, discrimination, violence, and trauma affect young people’s health. Plus identifies factors that foster youth resilience.
Strong Minds Strong Kids (Psychology Canada): Provides education on how to use stress reduction as a tool to build resilience and on how to help children build a solid foundation of mental health before problems or issues may arise.
Social and Emotional Learning
Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning: Supports educators and policy leaders to enhance the experiences and outcomes for pre-kindergarten to 12th grade students. A source for knowledge about high-quality, evidence-based social and emotional learning.
People for Education: Advocates, researches and educates about the importance of publicly funded education as the cornerstone of a thriving democracy. Provides educational resources, newsletters, and an annual Ontario School Survey.
Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (Yale School of Medicine’s Child Study Center): Conducts research and teaches people of all ages how to develop emotional intelligence.
EDSurge: Reports on the people, ideas and tools shaping the future of learning in the United States.
Panorama Education: Dedicated to improving student outcomes by helping US schools and districts act on data.
Other
Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Caring and advocating for the mental health of children, youth and families.
Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation: Dedicated to heightening awareness of the importance of early literacy; promotes and develops children’s literacy initiatives; champions literacy partners and empowers people to build literacy skills in their homes and communities.
Canadian Paediatric Society: Professional home for more than 3,000 paediatricians, subspecialists, family physicians and nurses. Dedicated to public advocacy for children and youth and provides education and resources to enhance clinical practice. Their Caring for Kids section provides advice for parents on multiple issues with links to child and youth organizations and scholarly articles.
Canadian Psychological Association: A national association for the science, practice and education of psychology in Canada. Advances research, knowledge and the application of psychology through advocacy, support and collaborations.
Children First Canada: Dedicated to the protection and empowerment of Canada’s children and advocates for the protection and improved standards of care to improve children’s lives. Is also a member of the Prosperity Project and advocates for “when women succeed, we all prosper”.
College of Family Physicians of Canada and its chapters across Canada are the voice of family medicine in Canada and representing more than 40,000 family physicians across the country.
Eviance: A knowledge hub on disability issues in Canada that seeks to build a more inclusive, equitable and accessible society in Canada and beyond. Through strategic partnerships with disability communities, government, researchers and private enterprise establishes lasting change by using community-based research using persons with disabilities in all that they do.
First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Helpline: a crisis counselling telephone helpline and on-line chat line for Indigenous people who are suffering from mental health issues 1-855-242-3310
Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund: Inspired by Chanie’s story and Gord’s call to build a better Canada, the fund aims to build a cultural understanding and path towards reconciliation between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous peoples. The aim is to improve the lives of Indigenous people by building awareness, education, and connections between all Canadians.
Key Assets Canada: Supports quality foster care for children and young people.
Kids Help Phone: 24-7 Canada-wide e-mental health service for young people 5-29 years of age and provides online access to resources and multiple support services.
Sandbox Project: A forum for sharing promising practices and opportunities, collaborating across sectors, and initiating partnerships to accelerate improvements in the health and well-being for Canada’s kids and youth.
Talk 4 Healing: 24-7 support, help and resources for Indigenous Women in Ontario fully grounded in Indigenous culture, wisdom and traditions and available in multiple Indigenous languages 1-855-554-HEAL (4325)
The Vanier Institute of the Family: Dedicated to understanding the diversity and complexity of families and the reality of family life in Canada. Through publications, research, presentations and social media and web-based resources, provides a national understanding of how families interact and how they are affected by social, economic, environmental and culture forces.
Until the Last Child: Advocates so that every child in Canada who needs a healthy, permanent home with a nurturing family is given one at the earliest opportunity. Assists child welfare agencies by supporting and funding innovations.
Resilient Kids Canada
We do not provide mental health services. If you require assistance, we recommend you contact:
Crisis Services Canada: to help you to find distress centres and crisis organizations across Canada. You can assess immediate help by calling 1-833-456-4566 (toll-free and available 24/7) or by Texting 45645 (4 pm – 12 am ET).
Kids Help Phone: available 24 hours a day for young people aged five (5) to twenty-nine (29). Phone 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text Connect 686868.
Hope for Wellness Helpline: a 24/7 crisis counselling helpline for Indigenous people across Canada who are suffering from mental health issues. Contact them at 1-855-242-3310 or visit their chat line at www.hopeforwellness.ca
Resilient Kids Canada’s Registered Charity Number 718447477 RR 001
Land Acknowledgment: Our lands spanning from Lake Ontario to the Niagara Escarpment are steeped in the Indigenous History and Modern Traditions of the many Firsts Nations and Métis. The territory is mutually covered by the Dishwith One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy, the Ojibway and other allied Nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. We would like to acknowledge that the land on which we gather is part of the Tready Land and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit.