Letter from Our Leaders
Dear friends,
The best start for more than one in nine Ontario kids is in the developmental health sector.
This is community-based health care—interventions that can change the trajectory of a child’s life, significantly improving a child’s ability to learn skills that lead to greater success in school and in adult life.
Setting a child up for success is not just about addressing immediate concerns, it’s about laying a strong foundation for their future well-being.
EKO is Ontario’s premier association dedicated exclusively to developmental healthcare. Our members are recognized provincially and nationally for providing the highest-quality clinical care. We are committed to one purpose: kids with disabilities and developmental differences living their best lives. EKO is unified in our mission to champion the developmental health needs of kids and families.
We couldn’t do our work on behalf of our growing membership without the outstanding partners and stakeholders who share our vision—researchers, trainees, clinicians, visionary leaders, innovators, talented administrators, advocates and champions, moving Ontario’s developmental health sector forward—together.
This year had some tough challenges. EKO members faced many of the same challenges as other healthcare providers, including workforce shortages and the growing numbers of kids who need assessment and clinical care. For every two kids who move off the wait list, another five join—literally two steps forward and five steps back.
Fortunately, our province is thinking about our children’s health system and EKO is at the table—at the Provincial Council for Maternal Health and Child Health, the Ontario Health Pediatric Partnership Table, and the Champion’s Table for the Canadian Council for Caregiving Excellence among many other leadership forums. EKO is well positioned to remain a strong and stable partner for children’s developmental, physical, and mental health and well being, now and far into the future.
Sincerely,
Tina Langlois
Chair
Jennifer Churchill
President & CEO
EKO Everywhere
EKO contributes to:
- Ontario Health Access to Specialized Pediatric Care Committee
- Ontario Health Pediatric Partnership Table
- Provincial Council on Maternal and Child Health Governing Council
- Complex Care Kids Ontario Leadership Table
- International Foundation for Integrated Care
- Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence National Caregiving Strategy Champions Table
- Ontario’s 10-year HHR Strategy Key Informant
- Our Kids’ Health Community Advisory Committee
- Canadian Association of Science Centres Misinformation Campaign Community of Practice and is a frequent source for organizations including the National Ballet School of Canada, the Stratford Festival, and Metrolinx
Presentations/events:
- Right-Sizing Pediatric Healthcare Longwoods Breakfast Series panel discussion
- Together for Tomorrow Children’s Mental Health Ontario annual conference presentation
- Flip the Script: High Performing Health Systems for Kids Children’s Healthcare Canada Annual Conference Executive Mentor facilitator
- 10 Echo funding announcements at member agencies
Targeted reach:
- Hospital News 9th annual pediatric supplement print and online: EKO advertorial reaches readership of 60,000, 8,200 pediatric healthcare providers, and 23,500 healthcare industry contacts
- OHA Health System News: Ontario’s Historic Funding for Pediatric Health Care Already Making a Difference
Neurodiversity research
- 5 Letters of Support and Research Partnership
Digital EKO
Digital EKO
Empoweredkidsontario.ca breaks 1 million sessions:
1,152,055 to be exact!
- 127,050 views
- Average time on site: 4 minutes 38 seconds
24% growth across all social media channels, including:
- Instagram 54%
- LinkedIn 74%
- Champion followers on these 2 channels: 300,000+
- Page and profile reach: up 11%
- Post impressions up: 13%
- Post reactions up: 83%
- Average engagement rate: up 15%
One year after launching new Members’ Portal, members say:
- 93% say new site is very effective/effective in finding what they need
- 3 suggested improvements; 100% implemented
19 Resource Libraries:
- 872 users
- 492 views
- 1,877 downloads
Implementing a New Client Information System:
- 15 EKO member agencies
- $8.8M investment includes $3.6M for data migration
Moved without privacy and security incidents :
- 327,000 client files
- 14,500,000 notes
2024 EKO Scholars
11 nominators
15 endorsers
Kim Mantha
l’Université d’Ottawa, History and Politics
CJ Barry
Wilfred Laurier University, Computer Science
Audrey Godbout
St. Lawrence College, Police Services
Keira Gayowsky
University of Guelph, Criminal Justice and Public Policy
Jordan Diana
Nipissing University, Concurrent education program: Education and Sociology
Josephine Noue
University of Guelph, Biological Sciences
Logan Pickells
University of Toronto Mississauga, Histor
August Hummelbrunner
Ivey School of Business, Western University
Financials
Our Financial Health
Statement of Operations and Changes in Net Assets Year ended March 31, 2024
| Finacials line item | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Restricted Contributions | $ | $ |
| CRISP | 768,900 | 704,875 |
| Client Information System | 1,964,492 | 537,210 |
| SmartStart Hub | - | 150,000 |
| Capacity Building and Research | - | 100,000 |
| Scholarships | - | 12,500 |
| 2,733,392 | 1,504,585 | |
| Excess restricted revenue over restricted expenses | ||
| Unrestricted Revenue | ||
| Membership | 1,131,336 | 1,085,045 |
| Other revenue | 216,340 | 136,071 |
| Interest income | 84,067 | 53,790 |
| Annual conference | 209,549 | 2,730 |
| Donations | 10 | 24 |
| 1,641,302 | 1,227,660 | |
| Unrestricted Expenses | ||
| Salaries and benefits | 808,267 | 641,239 |
| Professional Fees | 242,848 | 113,492 |
| Marketing and communications | 36,161 | 68,098 |
| Office | 87,615 | 40,676 |
| Leardership Committee | 40,643 | 21,796 |
| Annual conference | 283,983 | 13,476 |
| Travel | 19,528 | 11,973 |
| Scholarships | 15,000 | - |
| Rent | 11,397 | 11,860 |
| Project expense | 6,318 | 10,907 |
| Professional development | 12,798 | 8,649 |
| Board | 12,415 | 7,996 |
| Amortization | - | 373 |
| 1,576,973 | 970,535 | |
| Excess of unrestricted revenue over unrestricted expenses | 64,329 | 307,125 |
| Operating fund balance, beginning of year | 1,305,262 | 998,137 |
| Operating fund balance, end of year | 1,369,591 | 1,305,262 |
150 Kilgour Rd.
Toronto, Ontario, M4G 1R8
Phone: (416) 424-3864