Ontario Trillium Foundation funding is helping the Learning Disabilities Association of Chatham-Kent (LDACK) grow.
Thanks to a $373,600 grant, the agency has expanded its long-standing academic tutoring programming to include social skills for elementary school-age children affected by a learning disability or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD.)
According to executive director Julia MacKellar, the three-year program is running from 2025 to 2028, but the organization is already seeing results.
“Children with learning disabilities require direct instruction, not only when being taught academics, but often when it comes to social skills as well,” MacKellar said. “They don’t read social situations like neurotypical people do, in the same way they don’t read words or work with numbers as easily.”
But thanks to the funding grant from the province, MacKellar said the non-profit was able to add direct social skills instruction into the tutoring program for children who need it.
The LDACK operates out of space at Chatham-Kent Secondary School and is manned by three staff members, as well as a host of volunteers, many whom are high school students. The association offers after-school help and summer tutoring to youngsters, including one-on-one tutoring and group programs.
Chatham-Kent Leamington MPP Trevor Jones, who recently met with program officials, said the investment provides critical support.
“The Learning Disabilities Association of Chatham-Kent has a strong history of helping individuals reach their full potential,” Jones said, “and this funding will allow them to strengthen and expand their social and academic tutoring program so that more local children can benefit.
“By investing in our children and supporting them early, we are helping build a stronger, more inclusive community where every child has the opportunity to thrive,” he said.
