FIREFLY has announced that it has received membership in Empowered Kids Ontario -Enfants Avenir Ontario (EKO), an Ontario organization representing the province’s publicly funded child development and rehabilitation sector.
FIREFLY is one of the newest providers to join EKO in the Northwest Region. EKO promotes evidence-based investments, policies and programs enabling smart, innovative approaches and service delivery, so kids with disabilities and their families live their best lives. The association was founded in 1978, changed its name from the Ontario Association for Children’s Rehabilitation Services to Empowered Kids Ontario – Enfants Avenir Ontario in 2018. What began as the voice of core rehabilitation services for children and youth—physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy—has evolved as Ontario’s child development sector has advanced, and the suites of services available to kids with disabilities and their families continue to grow to meet the specific needs of communities across the province.
“We are extremely excited to be a part of EKO and are proud to have successfully met the association’s rigorous criteria,” says Karen Ingebrigtson, CEO. “This membership is a strong testament to our commitment to providing outstanding programs and services to kids with disabilities and their families. As an EKO member, we join Ontario’s child development and rehabilitation professionals as one unified voice to advance our sector, collaborate, and share expertise.” EKO members care for and about kids with childhood disabilities; kids with developmental challenges— cognitive, physical and communication; kids who are recovering from illness or injury; and kids with complex care needs including Autism, Cerebral Palsy, FASD, Down syndrome, and other neurodisabilities.
