Kinsight
1140 Austin Ave #200 V3K 4H2 Coquitlam, BC, Canada

April is Autism Awareness Month. What is one way you can be an ally to the Autism community? Follow the hashtag #actuallyautistic to learn from individuals in the Autism community! Educate yourself on updated terminology and ideas about Autism that support, advocate and empower. Remember, one voice does not speak for the whole community so for a variety of perspectives, here are some great places to start: https://www.verywellhealth.com/autism-instagram-accounts-51... https://themighty.com/2019/08/actually-autistic-instagram/ https://weworkwithautism.com/8-actually-autistic-advocates/ Autism is a neuro-divergent way of being in the world, and the variety of preferences and experiences is unique to each individual on the spectrum.

Join us for fun outdoor experiences songs, games and stories. During Kinsight’s Spring Playgroup, you may speak with Infant Development and Supported Child Development Consultants. Space is limited so register now. What: Kinsight Spring Playgroup When: Wednesday’s 10 11 a.m., April 7 28 Where: Pinetree Community Centre 1260 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam ... Ages: Newborn to 5 years old Bring: Mask, hand sanitizer, water, snack and outdoor gear RSVP: Joey Lam at [email protected] (Space is limited and registration is required) See more

Kinsight is eager to hear from you. Our annual satisfaction survey was sent to families and people served earlier this month. We would like feedback on your experience with Kinsight over the past year and throughout the pandemic: what programs and services you were engaged in, how the service adaptions met your needs, and whether you are getting the information you require. Your input helps us shape our plans for the year ahead. If you or your family receive services through Kinsight and have not received a survey, please email us at [email protected]

In January, Kinsight’s Supported Child Development and Infant Development programs took the playgroup outdoors. The weekly playgroup has enjoyed exploring nature in snow, rain and sunshine. In particular, the children are having fun listening to the sound of water and examining rocks, plants and trees. Due to COVID-19, space is limited and the current series is full. For information about future sessions, please email [email protected]

Check in with your kids during spring break. Our community has been through a lot this past year and it is not only important to check in with your children, but also yourself. Socio-emotional learning is an important part of human development. In young children stress may show up as challenging behaviours. As children are learning how to express their emotions through verbal language, they may communicate their unmet needs through behaviours. Here are some proactive ways t...o manage stress in the home: 1. Get outside! Research shows that time in nature lowers the stress hormone cortisol 2. Take a break. Consider a day away from child care, moving one responsibility to the next day (i.e. laundry) or having one day that isn’t scheduled with activities and errands. Or just taking a small moment to take a few deep breaths. 3. Check in with your emotions. Labelling emotions can help your child learn to identify their emotions and process big feelings. Children learn how to self-regulate by watching how you process your own big feelings. This is called co-regulation. 4. Keeping up with your routines. Children thrive when there is structure and this can ease anxiety. With spring break coming, it is important to keep some routines in place. These routines can include when your child wakes up, when your child goes to bed, and meal times. Most importantly, now is the time to adjust your expectations and take it easy on yourself. You are doing the best that you can! Photo Credit: unsplash.com/@nathananderson

Thank you to La-Z-Boy Vancouver in Coquitlam for helping our community to live life comfortably. As we age, our needs change. Recognizing that, La-Z-Boy rose to the occasion to support two people served through Kinsight -- Dorothy and Conrad -- with technologically advanced ‘lift’ chairs. The lift chairs are a welcomed addition to each of their homes and will support Dorothy and Conrad to remain as independent as possible. The chairs make it much easier to rise from seated to standing position. I love it, remarked Dorothy. Conrad agrees. La-Z-Boy has truly actioned their core value to ‘Stay Connected’ as a community builder, and Kinsight is thrilled to have strong support from our family owned and operated neighbours in the Tri-Cities!

Is your child starting middle school or high school in September? Here are some useful tips. -Do some research: Register your child at your local middle school (even if you are applying for out of catchment) -Talk to and Listen to your child: Begin discussion with your child about the upcoming transition to middle school or high school -Build Connections: Attend a grade 5 or grade 8 parent night or an open house -Get familiar with the school: With permission, set up a visi...t to their new classroom. You can request a member from your child’s current school team to arrange this with your new school team -Find your niche: When the calendar is released for the new school year look to see what extra curricular’s and clubs your child would like to take part in -Create a Youth Profile: Speak to your Consultant to discuss ideas for how to do this See more

IKEA Coquitlam -- Your generosity has been astounding, and the words thank you hardly seem adequate. IKEA outfitted five of Kinsight’s homes in the George, a new Marcon development in Port Moody. Living up to their motto of creating a better everyday life for the many people, the IKEA Coquitlam team listened to the wishes and needs of the residents and carefully selected each piece of furniture to ensure the homes are personalized, functional and inviting. With IKEA’s s...ignificant contribution and expertise, we have created beautiful, accessible spaces for the people we serve and the team of Kinsight staff who support them. The George development is one of several Kinsight partnerships designed to create affordable, accessible and inclusive housing. It is a great example of how Kinsight has teamed up with developers, local and provincial governments, and retailers to create stronger communities that welcome all people. #IKEACanada #InclusiveHousing #PortMoody #GivingBack

Cathy Anthony, Kinsight’s Community Engagement Coordinator, has accessorized her pink shirt with a matching pink cast. In honour of Pink Shirt Day, Cathy is celebrating kindness with pink umbrellas. When Cathy spots a colleague wearing pink or sharing what they are doing to lift people up, she is thanking them with a cheerful pink umbrella.

Are you curious about the benefits of sensory play? It’s a great way to keep your kids engaged for a prolonged period of time and it helps develop your child’s: - Fine Motor Skills - using their hands and simple tools - Early Learning Skills - such as Kindergarten Readiness and Pre-Literacy Skills - Emotional Development - by encouraging self-regulation, calming and independent play - Language Development- by using action and descriptive words... Building a sensory bin is a good way to promote sensory play. Fill a bin with play materials that are tactile. Here are some ideas for things you may have around the house for your sensory bin: Shoebox and/or Large Tupperware Beans/Rice Coil Hair Elastics Ziploc bags with hair gel Paint Ice/Snow Shaving Cream Soil/Sand Homemade playdough Fabric Scraps Pinecones, rocks, leaves Food colouring coloured water, ice, snow Measuring spoons, cups, tweezers, tongs

Join the authors of The Trampoline Effect during an online forum on Friday, Feb. 26, from noon 1 p.m. Gord Tulloch and Sarah Schulman will discuss the future of community living: testing new roles, relationships and purposes. The free event is hosted by the Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship. Register here https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-future-of-community-living-

Is your child transitioning to kindergarten? Now is the time to reach out to your Kinsight and school team to ensure you have the documentation needed for the transition. If you are living in the Tri-Cities or New Westminster area, check out the link below to find out more information about how to get ready for the kindergarten transition. If you have any questions, please contact your Supported Child Development Consultant at Kinsight or email us at [email protected] (for New Westminster) or [email protected] (for Tri-Cities). https://kinsight.org//is-your-child-transitioning-to-kind/

Join Kinsight at a virtual career fair on February 1st. Participate in an online session with Kinsight and hear from supervisors about their programs and roles that are currently available. You will also have a chance to submit questions and receive information on how to apply for open positions. Kinsight’s virtual session will be held from 4-4:30 on Monday, Feb. 1. Register at: https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/register/zwpyjrpa

New Positions OPEN! Check out our recent job postings to see if you are the right fit. Supervisor - Group Homes 40 hrs/week: https://kinsight.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=64 Payroll Administrator - Full time:... https://kinsight.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=56 APPLY TODAY and become part of our Kinsight Family.

Now & Next series begins next week. Learn more about this innovative online program.

Kinsight’s playgroup is heading outside. Join us as we explore nature, sing songs and enjoy the outdoors. Sessions held on Wednesday mornings at 10 a.m. in Port Coquitlam. Registration is required and space is limited. When: Every Wednesday, Jan 20-Feb 10, 2021 from 10-11 a.m. Where: Meet outside the enclosed play area at Hyde Creek Rec Centre, 1379 Laurier Ave. Port Coquitlam... Ages: Newborn to age 5 Register: Register to Joey Lam at [email protected] or 604-603-5611. Registration is required and space is limited due to COVID-19. Bring: - Mask & hand sanitizer - Water & a snack - Outdoor gear

We are sending a special shout out to the Inlet United Church sewing team Liz, Diane, Betty and more joined together to sew masks for their Community Caring Give Away Day. Kinsight is so grateful to have received over 50 masks, double layered with inserts for filters. A huge thank you from Kinsight for their thoughtful donation.

POSITION SUMMARY: Our new Supervisor will be able to lead one of our existing Community Inclusion Program while participating in the design and development of new ways to serve. This pandemic has been incredibly disruptive to the ways in which our Community Inclusion Services are delivered by staff and experienced by Participantsbut the disruption has had some silver linings! We intend to learn from our experiences during the pandemic and shape our on-going and future serv...ice responses based on that learning. Our new Supervisor will be able to lead well within the existing structure and by that we mean build positive relationships with Participants and their families, facilitate and evaluate the effectiveness of person and program level planning, supervise and motivate staff, look after buildings and vehicles, write reports while imagining and collaboratively designing something new something that is not ‘status quo’. If you are someone who has experience working in or supervising a ‘day service’ and if you often say to yourself There has got to be a better way to do this! Stop talking to yourself, and call us! You could be our new Supervisor! Apply here: https://kinsight.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php

Kinsight is hiring full time and casual Community Support Workers and Residential Care Workers! We’re looking for people who can plan with and offer participants meaningful dynamic service experiences. And of course we’ll be looking for all the other things too like: team player, able to work independently, strong communicator, fairly tech savvy, valid driver’s license! If you are wondering if Kinsight could be a match for you, please check out our website www.kinsight.org ...and two other sites, www.comakedo.ca and www.kudoz.ca for a glimpse into our organization and the results of our Research and Development partnership efforts so far! For more information, and to apply for one of our open positions, click here https://kinsight.bamboohr.com/hiring/jobs

On this day, we pause for a moment of silence to remember all those who have served and continue to serve our country during times of war and peace. We honour the sacrifice and bravery of countless men and women who have fought for Canada. Lest We Forget.

Kinsight is sending a big thank you to the Microsoft Store at Pacific Centre for their generous donation. We were thrilled to receive two large refrigerators for our residential homes, stationary supplies, as well as folding tables and tubs for our socially distanced outdoor activities. A special thanks to Microsoft and the Port Moody Foundation who contacted Kinsight about the donation opportunity.

We are Hiring! Kinsight has been supporting people with disabilities for over sixty years! That’s a long time. We’ve learned a lot over those years, and right now our learning is telling us that it’s time to make some changes. Not change for the sake of it. Change because we think we can do better, be better in our work. We are on the verge of an important transformation, one that will re-shape how we serve adults. Our transformation will be enriched by the wisdom of tho...se we serve, their families, staff and the Kinsight Leadership Team. We currently have openings for: Supervisor Community Inclusion Program - Full Time Supervisor Residential Services - Full Time Community Support Workers - Full Time, Part Time, Casual Residential Care Workers - Full Time, and Casual positions If you are wondering if Kinsight could be a match for you, please check out our website www.kinsight.org and two other sites, www.comakedo.ca and www.kudoz.ca for a glimpse into our organization and the results of our Research and Development partnership efforts so far! For more information, and to apply on one of our job openings, please click on this link https://kinsight.bamboohr.com/jobs/

A Canadian Disability Benefit is coming. Tune in throughout November for a 4-part online learning series on the proposed benefit. The first session 'The Power of New Forms of Democratic Engagement' will take place on November 5th. Other topics include: The Power of Inclusive Design (Nov 12)... The Power of a Disability Media (Nov 19) The Power of Working Together (Nov 26) For more information and to register, click here: https://planinstitute.ca/learning-series-canadian-disabili/

Firefighters, princesses and lots of superheros turned out for Kinsight’s family Halloween party at Tipperary Park. The socially distanced festivities included treats, activities, costumes and craft kits for families to take home. A shout out to all who joined us for the wickedly wonderful time.