Mission Statement

Our vision: Working together to realize optimal potential for infants, children and youth

Our mission: Providing safe, accessible and quality family-centred services for infants, children and youth with physical, developmental and communication needs.

Our Story

Celebrating 50 years of incorporation in 2024, Lansdowne has family-centred care in its roots that can be traced back to 1952, when seven families whose children lived with cerebral palsy met on a part-time basis and formed the Parents Council for Cerebral Palsy. 

The peer support group evolved to become the Brant County Cerebral Palsy Association, who partnered with the Rotary Club of Brantford in 1960 to open the Crippled Children/Cerebral Palsy Centre at the Brantford General Hospital. After moving to the Lansdowne elementary school site, Lansdowne Children's Centre was incorporated in 1974 and was recognized as a Group K Hospital under the Ministry of Health, offering outpatient services in physical medicine therapies.

Over the past 50 years Lansdowne has expanded services and embraced new opportunities to support infants, children, youth, and their families, in their journeys with physical, communication and developmental needs and challenges. Lansdowne Children’s Centre welcomed the Infant Development Program in 1985, building its full respite menu starting in 1987, then adding Special Needs Resourcing in Childcare for Brantford/Brant in 1991. In 1997 the Ontario Ministry of Health named Lansdowne the lead agency for the Brant Preschool Speech and Language Program. In 2002 the Kid’s Country Inn was opened by Lansdowne, introducing a weekend overnight respite program for medically fragile and/or technologically dependent children and youth. Lansdowne is proud to have offered Autism Services since 2004, as programming grew to now provide catchment-wide preschool speech and language services as well as school-based and community-based rehabilitation services.

Since 2011, Lansdowne Medical Director and Developmental Paediatrician, Dr. Ben Klein, has operated his practice inside Lansdowne Brantford. 

From humble beginnings inside the Brantford General Hospital, today Lansdowne operates five service delivery sites, located in four communities, and serves a territory spanning more than 4,000 square kilometres as a SmartStart Hub located in the Grand Erie region. In the past five years Lansdowne has experienced a 31% increase in clients served, and a 53% increase in the number of referrals received annually. 

Our People/Our Team

Rita-Marie Hadley, Executive Director
(519) 753-3153 ext. 237
rhadley@lansdownecc.com

Jennifer Huxley, Director of Client Services
(519) 753-3153 ext. 217
jhuxley@lansdownecc.com

Cindy Rock, Business Director
(519) 753-3153 ext. 212
crock@lansdownecc.com 

Sarah Consoli, Human Resources Director
(519) 753-3153 ext. 242
sconsoli@lansdownecc.com

Dr. Ben Klein, Medical Director - Paediatrician
benjamin.klein@grandriverpediatrics.ca

Achievement/Awards And Recognition

In 2021, Lansdowne Children's Centre was recognized by the Chamber of Commerce of Brantford-Brant as winner of the Bell Community Builder Award in its Business Excellence Awards.

In 2019, Lansdowne Children’s Centre received Accreditation with Commendation from Accreditation Canada. (Awaiting results of our 2023 audit, just completed November 15, 2023)

Our Partners

Lansdowne works with and promotes a number of community agencies and partners who help to support families of developing infants, children and youth, and in particular those faced with challenges resulting from physical, communication and/or developmental needs. Partners can be found in our online Resources. Contact Brant and Haldimand-Norfolk (HN) REACH are two notable examples of partner agencies working with Lansdowne team members to deliver resources, services and support for infants, children, youth, and their families. 

Learn More About Us

www.LansdowneCentre.ca/resources
This online directory has been developed to resemble YouTube, and provides an index of video, handout and website resources. The content is searchable, as well as filterable by child age, location, interest, and/or service.

https://www.lansdownecentre.ca/services
Similar to our Resources page, each service/program at Lansdowne has a dedicated profile page as well as a department page. Services can be filtered by child age, location and interest/need, so that a caregiver can quickly determine what programs they may be eligible for.

www.LansdowneCentre.ca/workwithus
Redeveloped in the Summer of 2023, our You Belong Here recruitment campaign highlights the many benefits of being a team member at Lansdowne Children’s Centre. Application forms per-vocation are hosted on our website and connected to the manager of that service by automated email so that responses can be received and reviewed in real time.

www.lansdownecentre.ca/eventcalendar
In 2022 Lansdowne started to use an event calendar on our website to manage registration for special events (not services). We are evolving this resource to offer improved access to social and drop-in programs, support programs and workshops, and staff professional development.