5 Facts You Might Not Know About Hope’s Home

Hope’s Home is much more than your typical daycare.

Our childcare services are more complex and our reach is province wide. If you only access childcare in Prince Albert, you might not even know that we have Early Learning & Childcare centres across Saskatchewan. Hope’s Home is proud of the growth our organization has seen over the years and we continue to pride ourselves in the environment we provide for not only our children, but our staff as well. With all that being said, you may be surprised by some of the 5 fun facts we are about to share. So let’s get reading!

1. We offer competitive salaries!

Many people assume our salaries and wages will be lower since we are a non-profit. However, all our wages (including our Licensed Practical Nurses!!) are very competitive with every other daycare centre, support home, and healthcare facility. It’s something we are really proud of. We also offer some very enticing career benefits. If you are interested in learning more, check our Careers page.

To add to our competitive salaries, we also offer a really great benefits package. Beyond the typical health and dental, we also offer paid time off (sick and vacation) for permanent full time employees, and a flexible schedule and remote working opportunities for our leadership team positions. There are so many other amazing benefits that a lot of people don’t expect at a non-profit.

2. We are a Saskatchewan wide non-profit, which is equals out to 385 kids in our care.

We have Supportive Living homes in both Saskatoon, Regina, and Prince Albert – with a total of 25 kids with complex medical needs across the province who are in our care 24/7 and call us family.
We have four 90-space Early Learning & Childcare Centres across the province in Regina (2), Prince Albert, and Warman. That is 360 kids and approximately 250 families who access our services.

3. We have went from 40 employees to over 300 in just 6 years. That’s a 650% increase in our number of staff!

Our organization has seen significant growth in its short life. Between full time, part time, and casuals, Hope’s Home is a busy place. And with our Supportive Living homes providing 24/7 care, our organization requires a lot of kind, hardworking, and enthusiastic employees!

4. Before Hope’s Home, we were the “Tisher Family Daycare.”

When our founder, Jacqueline Tisher, first got the idea to start a daycare for children with complex medical needs, it began out of her home; and she called it “Tisher Family Daycare.” Once her little home daycare began getting attention and interest, it expanded to become “Hope’s Home” – it received it’s charitable status shortly after.

5. The first child with complex medical needs to ever attend Hope’s Home turned 20.

Hope’s Home celebrated its 15th anniversary of caring for children with complex medical needs in November 2020. On one hand its been a whirlwind with how fast our organization has grown, and on the other hand it feels like forever because we can’t imagine a world where Hope’s Home doesn’t exist. So when we got the news that Ethan, the first medical kid to attend Hope’s Home, was graduating it was a pretty surreal moment. We cared for Ethan for the majority of his developing years and were there to help his family navigate the challenges that accompany having a child with complex medical needs. We are so happy to report that Ethan is thriving and doing so, so well. His graduation was such a huge milestone and we are very proud of him.

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And those are the 5 fun facts!

Our non-profit organization has grown so much in its 15 years and we are so proud to serve the communities in Regina, Saskatoon, Warman, and Prince Albert. We love an opportunity for people to learn more about us and blog posts like this are perfect for it.

Did any of the 5 facts surprise you? If you have any other questions about our early learning & childcare centres or Supportive Living homes, make sure to leave a comment down below and let us know.

Jun 1, 2021/2 Comments

Virtual Tours of our Regina Daycare Centres

Questions, Updates

Curious about childcare at Hope’s Home?

Take a look at just how amazing our Early Learning & Childcare centres really are. Our centres follow the Reggio Emilia curriculum and our environments reflect that. We love open-ended activities and toys for our kiddos and setting up displays and learning activities that contribute to the Project Approach.

Each centre is designed to be completely inclusive for all children, regardless of any complex medical or developmental need they have.

Regina South Early Learning & Childcare Centre

Regina North Early Learning & Childcare Centre

If you have any questions regarding the daycare centre or want more information about availability, please contact your local centre:

Regina South (JP II):
- Call: 306.205.8412
- Email: regina.childcare@hopeshome.org
Regina North (Rosewood):
- Call: 306.522.1516
- Email: rosewood.childcare@hopeshome.org

May 11, 2021/1 Comment

Learning about Adaptive Equipment – Play and Exploration

Questions, Stories

Creating an integrated and inclusive daycare environment through play and exploration.

When you walk into Hope’s Home, it will at first look like every other daycare in the city. There will be kids laughing and playing, Early Childhood Educators reading stories, a Nutrition Specialist cooking up a healthy lunch, and of course the loud noises of a childcare centre. But then you will look a little closer and notice some things that are a bit different. There is a cozy, quiet little room filled with sensory items, a ceiling track lift running throughout the daycare, a nurse providing medical care to a little kiddo with a feeding tube, and a Physical Development Consultant helping another kiddo into their standing frame.

The kids who attend our Early Learning & Childcare centres grow up seeing these things everyday; so to them, it’s just another day at daycare. But sometimes, curiosity gets the best of them (as it should) and they have a million questions. Last week was one of those times where they were extra curious about the different types of equipment their friends use and what exactly it all does; and our staff jumped at this chance to help them better understand.

Our amazing staff created hands on opportunities for the kids to try the equipment out for themselves. The kiddos were able to sit in Activity Chairs and take a ride on the Ceiling Track Lift. This showed them how the different equipment helps their friends be able to play and explore just like they do.

They learned that a wheelchair is just another way to move around, just like walking! And they learned that a ceiling track lift is just another way to get to the bathroom, just like getting a piggyback ride! They realize that all of these things that may seem different or unusual to them, are actually just ways for their friends to be able to do all the things that they do!

Not only is it our goal to create a safe place for children with complex medical or developmental needs, but we also want it to be a place where typically developing children grow up to be compassionate ally’s to their friends with disabilities. Encouraging curiosity, answering questions, and demonstrating differences, is big part of how we achieve our goal everyday. Activities like this help to to normalize the differences between the typically developing kids and the children who experience a disability. This is how we truly create an inclusive and integrated childcare experience.

That’s why there is no place like Hope.

Apr 6, 2021/0 Comments

What is a Parent Advisory Committee (PAC)?

Questions

Here are 5 short and frequently asked questions about Parent Advisory Committees (PAC) at Hope’s Home.

1. What is a Parent Advisory Committee?

Each Early Learning and Childcare Centre has a PAC which is comprised of the parent(s)/caregiver(s) of the children who attend the centre. For Hope’s Home, PACs are required by The Child Care Act. Meetings are held every 2 months, where parents have an opportunity to share their perspectives and offer suggestions.

2. Why is a Parent Advisory Committee Important?

The PAC is designed to ensure that the parents are provided with an opportunity to ask questions, express concerns and share suggestions to Hope’s Home. This allows parents to have a voice in the decision making process for the childcare they are paying for. It also helps Hope’s Home gain a fresh perspective and listen to concerns it might not otherwise hear.

3. How is a Parent Advisory Committee different than a Board of Directors?

Parents have a primary role in ensuring the well-being and positive developmental experiences of their children. The PAC represents the voice of the parents in the decision making process, whereas the Board of Director’s authority is more focused on centre operations.

4. As a parent of a child who attends, or is going to attend, Hope’s Home – is joining the Parent Advisory Committee mandatory?

We understand that people have busy schedules and other priorities, so it is not mandatory. We do however, greatly encourage all parents and guardians to join. Parent involvement is extremely valued and important to Hope’s Home. Your opinion matters and parents deserve to have a say in a service they are paying for!

5. How do I join my PAC?

Joining your PAC is easy! Simply send an email to your centre (listed below) or chat with your location manager or Admin the next time you are at the centre. They will be happy to help you and give you more information specific to your committee.

Regina South – childcare.regina@hopeshome.org | 306.205.8412
Regina North – childcare.rosewood@hopeshome.org | 306.522.1516
Warman – childcare.warman@hopeshome.org | 306.477.7042
Prince Albert – childcare.princealbert@hopeshome.org | 306.922.2025

Mar 24, 2021/0 Comments

5 Unique Event Planning Tips and Tricks

Events, Questions

Event Planning isn’t for the faint of heart. You need to be fearless and passionate about your project and willing to put in the effort and the hours to make it happen! My name is Kelsey Stewart and I’m the lead event planner with Hope’s Home and have brought you events like Swinging with the Stars and the Speakeasy Soiree! As a non-profit, our events and fundraisers are integral to the operations of our organization; and therefore each event is planned with attention to detail and a ton of heart.

From large scale galas, to golf tournaments, to more intimate events, I have a bit of experience in everything! Throughout the years, I have learned many ideas and secrets of what can bring your event to the next level! Whether you are planning a fundraiser or a corporate event, I can guarantee that these 5 unique event planning tips and tricks will help your event surpass everyone’s expectations.

1. Give Early Bird Incentives.

- Making special pricing for early bird tickets is a great way to get tickets sold fast! You can get a good idea of the “hype” behind your event if people want to buy tickets early. Ensure that the incentives you are providing are significant enough to convince your audience that it is worth it. And make sure that you are prepared to sell-out at that lowered price. You don’t want to undervalue your event at the early bird price and then end up selling-out and not hitting your targeted revenues for ticket sales! Balance is key.

2. Sell, Sell, Sell!

- Sell your target audience on why they should show up! You need to define what you are doing at the event that sets you apart and sells your tickets. Make sure in your promotional posts that you sell all that your event has to offer. Include information about unique features, added benefits to sponsorship levels, what comes with the ticket, etc.

3. Get Creative.

- You have to put time and effort into every little piece of your event. Experience matters!! Do some research in the sector and find out what is up and coming in the industry. Make it happen! Get away from the same old, same old. Find things that set your event apart from the rest! It could be in the food you serve, in the entertainment you book, or in the theme you choose for your event. There are so many opportunities for you to challenge your creativity – so get to it!

4. Pics, or it Didn’t Happen.

- One of the best ways to measure the success of your event is if people want to share it! Make an event hashtag and use it to promote your event. Make sure that you repost any shares that use the hashtag to encourage more people to share their event photos!
- Design your event so that it encourages interaction on social media. This could be by using a photo-booth, putting the hashtag on the event program, or a live twitter feed on a TV or screen!
- Make sure your event is beautiful and unique. You need to create visual eye candy for your attendees. Little pieces of the event that are “shareable” will make your audience want to share it with their following!

5. Trust Your Vendors and Let Them do Their Thing!

- These are the experts in the field! So lean on them. I love to meet with my vendors, tell them my vision for the event and then ask what crazy ideas they may have! They may be more up to date on industry trends, up and coming technology or maybe they just have a unique idea! This could be your decor rentals, entertainment or chef. It doesn’t matter what vendor it is – make sure you ask what they think and what ideas they have! It could take your event to the next level.
- For my Regina readers, here are a couple vendors that I would trust with my life!

And there you have it! 5 event planning tips and tricks that are sure to elevate your fundraising or corporate event planning game. At the end of the day, it really comes down to having trust in the people you’re working with, letting your ideas run wild, and understanding that every detail is important. It’s been a weird time for event planners with COVID-19 cancelling everything. But I am so excited for life to open up again so I can go all out on my next event for Hope’s Home.

Do you have any other tips you have found helpful in your event planning? Have any questions for me? I would love to hear it! Leave a comment down below or send us a message on Instagram!

Feb 26, 2021/19 Comments

5 Frequently Asked Questions about Hope’s Home

Questions, Updates

Since Hope’s Home is the first medically integrated daycare in Canada, we often get a lot of questions.

We frequently get asked questions about our organization and exactly how it works. To makes things easier, we have compiled a list of 5 frequently asked questions so the answers are all in one place! Here we go:

1. How do we classify as a non-profit even though we charge daycare fees?

This is one of the number one questions we get asked! Although we charge daycare fees (which are competitive to every other childcare centre), they don’t begin to fully cover our costs. Since we provide integrated and inclusive childcare, this requires more staff than a typical daycare. On top of hiring Early Childhood Educators, we also hire Developmental Workers, Nurses, Physical Development Consultants, Administrative Staff, and Nutrition Specialists. Therefore, in order to cover costs, we need help from donors, partners, and the Government to fund our programs.

2. Is there a complex medical or developmental need that is beyond our staff’s scope of practice or capability?

We pride ourselves in having trained nursing staff on the floor at all times. However, most of the time, these children require additional special care. This question is decided upon on a case by case basis. Below are two examples:

If the child had a very complex condition that required direct one-on-one care, it would depend on if we can fund the proper staffing for him/her and get additional funding from the Ministry of Education.
If a child had a form of autism, we would do an assessment to see if our environment is a good match for him/her. Children with autism often find the daycare environment over-stimulating. This would be a situation where we would see if attending our Early Learning & Childcare centre was in the best interest of the child.

However, we do our absolute best to accommodate all children who want to attend our centres and we will go above and beyond to find the right way to acclimate your child to his/her new environment.

3. Does my child have to have a complex medical or developmental need to attend the daycare centre?

Of course not! That’s what makes Hope’s Home so special – our integrated and inclusive daycare model. Children with complex medical or developmental needs get to interact, play, and have the same opportunities as typically developing children.

However, we often have a waitlist for our centres. And since there aren’t other childcare options for children with complex medical or developmental needs, they do have priority admission.

4. What if my child needs extra support?

If a child has a developmental need and requires a little extra love and support, Hope’s Home can help the family apply for an EA Grant (Enhanced Accessibility Grant). This is provided through the Ministry of Education that helps us fund an extra staff member, specifically for your child!

5. I’m interested in volunteering for your organization, where do I sign up?

Unfortunately, due to the complexity of some of our children and the specialized training our staff get to properly care for them, we don’t take volunteers to come directly volunteer with our children. However, there will be times when we need help and we will put a call out on social media for volunteers then. So make sure you’re following us on Instagram or Facebook so you don’t miss an opportunity! Some examples of volunteers we have needed in the past include:

Help cleaning up our backyard play area
Working a bbq or bottle drive to help raise funds
Painting/Renovations at our homes

Have more questions about Hope’s Home? Comment down below!

Feb 18, 2021/0 Comments

What does a Recreation Programmer do?

People, Questions

Meet Jaime – a Recreation Programmer at Prince Albert Supportive Living.

Jaime is an absolute ray of sunshine for our staff and our kids. She is a perfect member to our team as she brings so much passion, fun, and love to her position.

The Recreation Programmer role can be a bit misunderstood as you can have varying educational backgrounds to fill it. Whether you have a degree in Kinesiology, ECE diploma, or a Recreational Therapy Diploma, Hope’s Home will train you to perfectly fit the role. Read on as Jaime takes you through even more things you might not know about her and her role at Hope’s Home.

1. Start off by telling us a bit about yourself.

I have been the Recreation Programmer at Supportive Living in Prince Albert since the fall of 2018! Prior to working with Hope’s Home, I worked as a kinesiologist in multidisciplinary clinics both in Halifax and in Moose Jaw. I completed my Bachelor of Science in kinesiology from the University of Lethbridge. I am also a big movement enthusiast and am a spin instructor, group fitness instructor and personal trainer on the side.

2. What’s one thing people might not know about your position?

One thing people may not know is how diverse the Recreation role is at Hope’s Home! Every day comes with its unique challenges and no two days are the same! Not only do we get to research and program new intervention strategies for each of the kiddos, we also are big advocates for inclusiveness in the community where we always look for opportunities to get the children involved. We communicate with supporting professionals such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathologists, and vision rehabilitation (just to name a few); we then take their recommendations and create functional strategies to be implemented in the home and into the children’s daily lives.

3. You get to experience a lot of everyday miracles. What’s one that comes to the top of your mind as the most memorable?

I was fortunate enough to experience a wish trip for two of our children at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Watching the reaction when one of the children met any Disney character was priceless (Buzz lightyear and Minnie Mouse were their favourites!); pure joy and happiness.

Our other kiddo is a daredevil and wanted to ride any and every rollercoaster possible. They made me and another staff ride the fastest one over and over (they are much braver than me!).

4. You have a lot of career options with your Kin degree. What’s made you stay in the non-profit industry, and Hope’s Home specifically?

Prior to Hope’s Home I enjoyed my position but was never left feeling as fulfilled as I do working here. Working here, you get to see the direct impact of what you program, you learn to problem solve on the fly, and best of all you get to play! Hope’s Home is so incredibly special to this community, to the province, and has such an impactful message behind it. I am beyond grateful for each day I get to come into work and play a small part in this amazing organization.

I think having my kinesiology background, as well as experience, gives me a unique perspective into programming for the children. A lot of what we do in Supportive Living is incorporating recommendations from supporting professionals and making it fun and turning it into functional play. Having a deeper understanding of growth & development, and functional anatomy allows me to make sure the kiddos are getting the most out of their activities.

5. How would you describe the culture and atmosphere at Hope’s Home?

Supportive, welcoming, and so so fun. We have amazing staff here who make work not feel like work. From a management perspective, our supervisors are always there to listen and offer constructive feedback and to push our employees to reach their full potential.

6. What’re your long-term goals with Hope’s Home? Either personal, professional, or both.

I am currently pursuing my certified therapeutic recreation designation, which I’m very excited about! Once that is complete it will bring a whole new standard of recreation therapy at our center and hopefully at others as well.

I also love to mentor students and hope to accept many more from the therapeutic recreation program. Within Hope’s Home and the community, I will always continue to advocate for our children but also for this profession and what we can offer to these kiddos care teams.

That’s why there’s no place like Hope. ❤️

Oct 28, 2020/4 Comments

Where Does My Donation Go?

Questions