Report from the Chairperson

June 8, 2007: EINS Annual General Meeting

It has been an interesting year. I have witnessed your struggles with the Service Agreements. I wish it were easier. I wish we had a Staples easy button, connected directly to a bank account. I am always impressed with the professional and determined approaches you take with the obstacles that arise. I am reminded of the story of the little train that could, it seems that everywhere I go I hear the collective I think I can, I think I can of the EI train. I know we will. Dr Seuss said it best when he said And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed.

On your behalf I have written a few letters this year. Letters of welcome to Minister Judy Streatch, to Deputy Minister Judith Ferguson, letters of good-bye and thanks to Minister Morse and Deputy Minister Tyson. Letters asking to meet with community partners like Dr. Susan Bryson and Minister Streatch. We were delighted when Dr. Bryson agreed to meet with Sarah and myself. Last weekend we had the opportunity to participate in the Pivotal Response Treatment Training, which Dr. Susan Bryson arranged as a result of meeting with us. I wrote a few letters and made a presentation to the Credit Union Charitable Foundation. Those letters and presentation yielded great success. We have a three-year commitment from the Credit Union Charitable Foundation. They are meeting in July to work out the details. We did not get the results that we were hoping for with the package we sent to Minister Streatch re salaries, so we will try again.

We were invited to the Provincial Child and Youth Strategy looking at the recommendations from the Nunn Inquiry. I see this as significant as only thirty organizations in the province were invited. We made the top thirty. We are gaining the recognition that Early Intervention deserves.

Another success this year was the establishment of ECIANS as a separate organization. I am personally excited by this added voice for Early Intervention in the province. I look forward to working together on many issues important to Early Intervention.

EINS continues to manage the Partnership for Inclusion Project for another year. We are pleased to be associated with PFI. We will be working with the staff to develop some recommendations to DCS on possible next steps.

I continue to be excited to be Chair of EINS. You are indeed an inspirational group of people. Mustard and McCain in the Early Years Study (1999) make a powerful statement

It is clear that the early years from conception to age six have the most important influence of any time in the life cycle on brain development and subsequent learning, behaviour and health. The effects of early experience, particularly during the first three years, on the wiring and sculpting of the brain’s billions of neurons, last a lifetime. (p. 7)

This is the work of Early Intervention, work that lasts a lifetime.

Yours sincerely,
Brenda Putnam
EINS Chairperson

Recent Chairperson's Reports
 April 20, 2005: Cooperation with Community Services
 June 5, 2004: EINS Annual General Meeting