Gearing Up was developed over the course of a year with support and input from many people, including families, child development experts, Indigenous partners, community partners, and partners across 13 Ontario ministries including the ministries of: Children and Youth Services; Education; Tourism, Culture and Sport; Citizenship and Immigration; Health and Long-term Care; Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation; Community and Social Services; Housing; Transportation; Community Safety and Correctional Services; Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Advanced Education and Skills Development; and Labour.

The images used throughout Gearing Up: A Strategic Framework to Help Ontario Middle Years Children Thrive were drawn by children who participated in family interviews and focus groups across Ontario during its development.

The Ministry of Children and Youth Services would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of the artists and their families for allowing the use of their drawings in this resource.

The Ministry of Children and Youth Services appreciates the contributions of the organizations and individuals that shared their expertise, perspectives and experiences:

Families

We would like to thank the many families across the province that shared insights on parenting children in the middle years. The following individuals and organizations helped to do outreach and bring these families together:

  • Bob Rumball Canadian Centre of Excellence for the Deaf
  • Boys and Girls Club of Thunder Bay
  • Britannia Woods Community House
  • Centre psychosocial d’Ottawa
  • Dilico Child and Family Services
  • Halton Multicultural Council Connections
  • Toronto Kiwanis Boys and Girls Clubs
  • Merrymount Family Support and Crisis Centre
  • Middle Childhood Matters Coalition
  • Ontario Inuit Children’s Centre
  • Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa
  • Reach Out Centre for Kids
  • The Premier’s Council on Youth Opportunities
  • Tungasuvvingat Inuit
  • Weechi-it-te-win Family Services

Indigenous partners

  • Anishinabek Nation and the Union of Ontario Indians
  • Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians (AIAI)
  • Chiefs of Ontario
  • Grand Council Treaty #3
  • Independent First Nations

Métis Nation of Ontario

  • Nishnawbe Aski Nation
  • Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres
  • Ontario Native Women’s Association
  • Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre
  • Six Nations of the Grand River
  • Tungasuvvingat Inuit

Workshop participants

  • 100 Pourcent Actifs, Extracurricular Activities
  • 4-H Ontario
  • Adventure Place
  • Afghan Women’s Organization
  • Aisling Discoveries Child & Family Centre
  • Atlohsa Native Family Healing Services
  • Autism Ontario
  • Bahá'í Community of Canada
  • Banff Avenue Community House
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters
  • Boys & Girls Club of West Scarborough
  • Boys and Girls Club of Thunder Bay
  • Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada
  • Boys and Girls Clubs of Ottawa
  • Brampton Multicultural Community Centre
  • Bruce Woodgreen Early Learning Centre
  • CAFCAN Social Services
  • Caledon institute
  • Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity
  • Canadian Council of Muslim Women
  • Canadian Mental Health Association
  • Canadian Mothercraft Society
  • Canadian Women’s Foundation
  • Carlington Community Health Centre
  • Children’s Aid Society of Toronto
  • Catholic Family Service Ottawa
  • Catholic Family Services Peel-Dufferin
  • Catholic Children’s Aid Society
  • Child Develop Institute
  • Centre psychosocial
  • Centretown Community Health Centre
  • Chatham-Kent Children's Services
  • Chiefs of Ontario
  • Child Development Resource Connection Peel
  • Children and Youth Mental Health Services for Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
  • Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario
  • Children's Centre Thunder Bay
  • Citizen Advocacy
  • City of Brampton
  • City of Halton
  • City of Mississauga
  • City of Thunder Bay
  • City of Toronto
  • CivicAction
  • Coaches Ontario
  • Community Living North Bay
  • Community Living Toronto
  • Confederation Court Community House
  • County of Wellington
  • Craigwood Youth Services
  • Crossroads Children's Centre
  • Deaf Culture Centre
  • Debra Dynes Family House
  • Dietitians of Canada
  • Dixie Bloor Neighborhood Centre
  • Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
  • East Metro Youth Services
  • Egale
  • Emily Murphy Non-Profit Housing Corporation
  • Enaahtig
  • Erin Mills Youth Centre
  • ErinoakKids Centre for Treatment and Development
  • Etobicoke Children's Centre
  • Family & Children's Services of St. Thomas and Elgin
  • Family and Children's Services, Waterloo
  • Family Day Care Services
  • Family Services of York Region
  • Foster Parents Society of Ontario
  • George Jeffrey Children's Centre
  • Girl Guides of Canada
  • Hincks Dellcrest Centre
  • Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
  • Hospital for Sick Children
  • Huron-Perth Children’s Aid Society
  • Indspire
  • Investing in Children
  • John McGivney Children's Centre
  • Kerry's Place Autism
  • Kids Help Phone
  • Kinark Child and Family Services
  • Lansdowne Children's Centre-West
  • Macaulay Child Development Centre
  • Madame Vanier Children's Services
  • Maison Fraternitè
  • Malton Neighbourhood Services
  • Malvern Family Resource Centre
  • McMaster University
  • MediaSmarts
  • Merrymount Children's Centre
  • Midaynta Community Services
  • Middle Childhood Matters Coalition Toronto
  • Native Child and Family Services of Toronto
  • Nelson Youth Centres
  • Nexus Youth Services
  • North York Community House
  • NorWest Community Health Centre
  • Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth
  • Ontario Association for Family Mediation
  • Ontario Association for the Support of Physical and Health Education
  • Ontario Association of Children's Rehabilitation Services
  • Ontario Healthy Schools Coalition
  • Ontario Medical Association
  • Ontario Native Women's Association
  • Ontario Public School Boards' Association
  • Ontario Student Nutrition Program Network
  • Our Kids Network, Halton
  • Oxford Children’s Aid Society
  • Parent Resource Centre
  • Parents' Lifelines of Eastern Ontario
  • Parks and Recreation Ontario
  • Pathways Health Centre for Children
  • Peel Children and Youth Initiative
  • Peel Children's Centre
  • Peel Region
  • People for Education
  • Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre
  • PLASP Child Care Services
  • Polycultural Immigrant and Community Services
  • Public Health Ontario
  • Quinte Children’s Homes
  • Reach Out Centre for Kids
  • Ryerson University
  • St. Alban’s Boys and Girls Club
  • Salvation Army Bethany Hope Centre
  • Sarnia Lambton Rebound
  • Sarnia Lambton Ontario Early Years Centre
  • Six Nations
  • Somerset West Community Health Centre
  • South East Ottawa Community Health Centre
  • Sport for Life
  • Surrey Place Centre
  • Thames Valley Children's Centre
  • The County of Lambton Social Planning and Children Service’s
  • The George Hull Centre for Children & Families
  • The Ontario Federation of Home and School Associations
  • Thunder Bay Children's Aid Society
  • Thunder Bay District Health Unit
  • Thunder Bay Indian Friendship Centre
  • Thunder Bay Ontario Provincial Police
  • Toronto Public Health
  • Toronto Public Library
  • Town of Caledon (Caledon Centre for Recreation and Wellness)
  • United Way Toronto & York Region
  • Valoris for Children and Adults of Prescott-Russell
  • Vanier Community Service Centre
  • Vanier Institute of the Family
  • Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health
  • Wesley Urban Ministries
  • West Neighbourhood House
  • West Scarborough Neighbourhood Community Centre
  • Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre
  • YMCA of Greater Toronto
  • YMCA of Kitchener-Waterloo
  • YMCA of South Western Ontario
  • YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region
  • York Region District School Board
  • York University
  • Youth REX
  • Youthdale Treatment Centres