Five of the Top Stories at Five Counties this month!

'Listen With Love' inclusion concerts asks us

to rethink what belonging looks like for a child

A new inclusion initiative for local families and early childhood educators will blend music, storytelling and lived experience, all with the aim of getting people to rethink what belonging looks and feels like for a young child.

Five Counties Children’s Centre is organizing two Listen With Love concerts in October to promote inclusion and introduce the Centre’s new Roots of Belonging initiative. Listen With Love is a FREE, moving, music-filled experience told from the perspective of Hannah Bailey, a Peterborough mom raising a son, Max, who has a rare genetic condition. 

“I always say, Max is my why. Both of my children are my why. They are why I want to lean into the art of inclusion to build a more inclusive world,” Bailey, a Quality Inclusion Coach at Five Counties, who supports the local early learning and child care community to continue building high-quality, early-learning opportunities for children in the area.

At the Listen With Love events, Bailey will share her family’s story in words and music of navigating Max’s heart condition, rare genetic diagnosis, and childhood apraxia of speech. She will tell how it reshaped everything her family understood about behavior, communication, regulation & belonging.

Two Listen With Love concerts are set for the Market Hall in Peterborough on:

• Tuesday, Oct. 20, for families and the general public interested in learning more about inclusion, and Hannah’s journey to reach that.
• Wednesday, Oct. 21, for early childhood educators in the Peterborough area. Falling on Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Appreciation Day, it’s a celebration of the profession and the pursuit of inclusion told from a parent and ECE’s perspective.

Doors open for each show at 5:30 pm, with concerts starting at 7 pm. Pre-register now!

All-o-ween returns to Cobourg, Lindsay & Peterborough

Five Counties is thrilled to bring back its All-o-ween event for its kids/clients and their families (including siblings). This accessible, inclusive and sensory-friendly trick-or-treating event is for kids of all ages and abilities. Now in its third year, All-o-ween has become part of Halloween festivities as it lets kids dress up in a costume, wear orange and black, or come as they are. Enjoy treats. stories and more!



Register now for All-o-ween in Cobourg, Lindsay & Peterborough

Centre clients shows how to get down to business

Rather than looking for jobs this past summer, 11-year-old Wyatt channelled his inner Steve Jobs to take care of business. And in the process, the Cobourg youth is demonstrating considerable innovation and business flair, something that Jobs — the late iconic inventor, tech titan, and co-founder of Apple — could certainly appreciate.

For Wyatt, a client of Five Counties Children’s Centre since age three who initially came for physiotherapy and who now receives occupational therapy at the centre, the entrepreneurial spirit took hold this summer.

It saw Wyatt turn his interest in technology into something tangible: a 3D printing business which he launched with the help of a micro-grant he received through the My Future My Career Kids Entrepreneurship Program run by the Business and Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland.



“I honestly don’t know,” Wyatt says, when asked what prompted him to become self-employed. “It was just something I kind of wanted to do, I guess.”

Wyatt’s mother, Jen, says her son had been talking about the kids’ entrepreneurship program for some time. “And I said to Wyatt, ‘I’ll look into it … we’ll talk about it’,” Jen recalls. “And then I came home the one day and Wyatt said, ‘Oh, I already did it.'”

Podcast explores the roll Occupational Therapists play in supporting local students and children with autism

A new podcast is out to help families better understand what Occupational Therapy is all about and the work done by school-based rehabilitation staff at Five Counties to support local students of all ages and abilities.

Five Counties' Occupational Therapist Erin Vanderberg recently appeared on the 'What's Your Experience with Autism' podcast, hosted by Matt Geraghty, of the Autism Resources Kawartha organization. The podcast covers a range of topics, including:

• The role of Occupational Therapy in supporting children with autism
• The importance of neurodiversity and individual differences
• Strategies for supporting kids in school and social environments
• The controversy and misconceptions around ABA therapy
• Community resources and advocacy for neurodivergent individuals

Catch the Ace with the Lakefield Village Lions Club

Feeling lucky? The Lakefield Village Lions Club's Catch the Ace Lottery is underway, and every ticket purchased helps support local charities, including Five Counties Children’s Centre.

Weekly draws take place every Wednesday at 2 pm at Classy Chassis Motorcycles (1399 8th Line Smith, Lakefield). Plus, half of all net proceeds will be shared equally among participating local charities.

To play, purchase your tickets online through the Lakefield Village Lions Club website by Wednesday at 9 am for that week's draw.



Good luck and thank you for supporting children and families in our community! 

Plenty more events in store this fall, so check them out!

You can send us an email through info@fivecounties.on.ca or give us a call and we will connect you with someone who can answer your questions.

Peterborough City and County - 705-748-2337

Northumberland County - 905-377-0192

City of Kawartha Lakes - 705-324-9320

All Areas Toll-Free: 1-888-779-9916