The Comox Valley Child Development Association (CVCDA) is a non-profit society that has served children and youth with special needs since 1974.

The Comox Valley Child Development Centre, later changed to Child Development Association, opened its doors in downtown Cumberland on July 12, 1974.

Initially services were focused on preschool age children with developmental delays and disabilities. Services, like early intervention therapies and preschool, were offered mainly within the centre. Over the years the agency and the services provided have grown and changed to respond to the needs of the children and families who access them. The Cumberland site was closed and the association opened a community based office with the capacity to offer inclusive services in the location (home, park, or therapy room) that worked best for the child and family. As well the agency expanded to serve school age children and youth and now offers two programs for young adults.

Now at its present site at 3rd and Cliffe, the early intervention therapies and Infant Development program, two of the original 1974 services, are still there, although the therapists are likely spending more time in family homes and the community than in their offices. There is still a preschool program, Project Jumpstart, offered for all children in partnership with School District #71 at Courtenay Elementary. Other programs include: Supported Child Development; Autism Program; Behaviour Consultant; Community Integration and Project Inclusion. All of them are designed to not only enrich the lives of the people who access the services, but also to contribute to a stronger Comox Valley that welcomes and includes everyone who lives here.

Comox Valley Child Development Association

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