During the Exploration process, a series of interviews and focus groups were conducted with a wide range of service providers across different sectors who work with young children and their families in Etobicoke and Toronto, as well as with parents and families of young children connected to services. To date we have conducted 13 key informant interviews and four family focus groups. These consultations involved diverse stakeholders, including adult mental health and addictions, children’s mental health, child welfare, Etobicoke Brighter Futures Coalition, family members and primary care providers.

Through these consultations, infant mental health system challenges and needs have been better identified and the 0-3 Service Collaborative has been able to define an area of focus for their work.

The Pyramid Model includes a series of trainings and a thorough coaching component designed to ensure uptake of new learning within the implementing sites. Project partners are currently setting up these training modules and recruiting staff to become coaches. Some settings are in the process of adapting elements of the intervention to best fit with their programs. An oversight committee is being formed to support implementation for the duration of the project.

The first weekend in February marked a significant milestone for First Steps to Success in Etobicoke, as more than 50 project members came together to participate in our first training series. A range of staff from each of our eight implementing sites joined their new coaches to learn about the importance of nurturing relationships, targeted social-emotional strategies, and building high-quality supportive environments.

Thanks to Toronto Public Health and Toronto Children’s Services, public health nurses and Special Needs Resource Consultants will be playing the role of coaches for the duration of this project. These coaches have received two days of practice-based coaching training in order to best support implementing staff to achieve their skill development goals.

Throughout the trainings, participants enjoyed getting to connect with their colleagues in the field and share their experiences with each other. Coaches and implementing staff formally began the partnership that will carry them through the rest of the project.

Individualized relationships between coaches and the eight site leads have continued over the past year. In pursuit of their professional development action goals, frontline staff have started seeing the impacts of the project. They’ve reported that the children in their care are calmer and more confident, and that they’ve built stronger relationships with the families they work with.