Understanding the Early Years - Results of the Community Mapping Study in North York - May 2001

Appendix B: Supplementary Resource Maps

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A great deal of information was collected for the purpose of this report and therefore not all of the maps could be included in the main section of the document. Additional maps of use and interest to the community are provided in this appendix.

Drop-in centres and toy lending libraries

The following additional resources can provide opportunities for learning and development of children and their parents.

• Drop-in centres (providing various programs for children and parents).
• Toy lending libraries (where families can access toys and learning resources).

Are the drop-in centres and toy lending libraries located where they are most needed? Are there obvious gaps or barriers to participation? How could these services be coordinated with other parent support and early child education services in North York?

Map S1 - Availability of drop-in centres and toy libraries

• 10 drop-in centres and 4 toy lending libraries were located in North York.
• Many of the drop-in centres were provided by faith or ethnic communities.
• Toy lending libraries were affiliated with public libraries, other learning or educationally focused organizations, and neighbourhood resource centres.

Childcare and playgroups

Social and demographic changes have resulted in a growing demand for non-parental care, making childcare an invaluable resource to many families. Quality childcare can play an important role in child development by provide educational, learning, and socializing experiences for the child.

Map S2 - Availability of childcare centres and playgroups

• There were approximately 123 childcare facilities in North York.
• Playgroups were clustered together, in an area with both higher incomes and fewer children.
• Data were not collected in this study on such characteristics as the accessibility and quality of.

As the EYAG moves towards an implementation phase, it may be useful to get a clearer picture of the kinds of early childhood education and care that are available in North York. The availability of early childhood education and care is particularly important to help parents finish school, enter a training program, or look for work as well as to support the development of their children.

Schools

Schools are one of the most important resources in a community for children and families. Schools are more than educational facilities — they are a public space used by children, teachers, parents and the community at large.

Map S3 - Availability of schools

• 200 elementary and secondary schools were located in North York.
  • Approximately 136 were part of the public school board.
  • 59 of them were separate schools, comprised of 3 French schools⁸ and the majority administered by Catholic school boards.
• Schools were distributed evenly throughout North York, with the exception of French-language schools, which were clustered together in the southeastern region.

Emergency and crisis services (police stations, fire stations, crisis centres)

Map S4 - Availability of emergency and crisis services

• There were approximately 20 fire stations and 5 police stations in the North York community. Both fire halls and police stations were distributed throughout the community, with nearly all residents likely having access to fire and police services in their neighbourhoods when needed.
• Crisis intervention centres were mostly located in the northern potion of the community.

• ⁸ The map shows only two of the French-language schools as two of the schools are at the same address, with one serving grades seven and eight students and the other serving those in grades nine and above.

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