Rowan's Room: Organization seeks donations to expand services to children, families in need

An organization that provides support to families with children who struggle in traditional settings is hoping to expand its services and provide more support to Atlantic Canadians.

Rowan's Room Developmental Society is an organization that aims to provide educational resources, as well as emotional and behavioural support and services, to families that require more support for their children.

Elizabeth Mason-Squires, the executive director and founder of Rowan's Room, saw the need for more support when trying to find help for her own daughter, Rowan, who has autism.

That led to the creation of Rowan's Room in Middleton, N.S., in 2016.

"There were some resources that were lacking, some gaps in services, and my own daughter, Rowan, was needing some extra help that wasn't available," says Mason-Squires. "So, we put together a collection of programs and services that fill in those gaps and worked to work with those existing services to make it more a seamless transition between what's available in the province."

The organization has grown over the years from being a respite and preschool, to now offering a full-time school program, an after-school program, as well as support and programs for families who require it.

"Whatever the need is, our goal is to fill it and eventually, I'd like to see a Rowan's Room everywhere in Nova Scotia," says Mason-Squires.

Mason-Squires says her original focus for the program looked at what services can be offered, starting with the early-intervention programs provided by the province, and carrying on from there.

"Then it grew really into mainly academic, in the sense that I was being contacted all over the Atlantic provinces for assistance with any disability, or children with no disabilities," Mason-Squires says. "Just any child who just couldn't thrive in a traditional setting."

"So, we sort of retooled the way we look at things and realized it was an environmental situation, where schools can only change so much to adapt to needs, but inclusion pushes for everybody to be in the school. So, we wanted to create an environment that supports inclusion, but creates an actual physical environment that works for sensory needs and anxiety. So, that's really our focus, and we are driven to help build those skills and the ability to thrive in any setting."

Mason-Squires says, once a child is in a place where they feel comfortable in a public setting, they are transitioned back into the regular school system with support from the organization.

"So, that's really our focus. Is getting them to a point where they're very successful and their best selves," she said.

Rowan's Room is also in the middle of a capital campaign for a new space right now.

"In 2020, we found a beautiful space, 5,000 square feet, because of course we grew from three kids to 10, 15 kids -- we've seen more than 60 come through our doors -- so, we needed a space where we could really adapt and make our own and be able to offer that environmental shift that we were talking about," says Mason-Squires.

"So, we found this space, we have all the construction ready to go and COVID hits. So, funders, lenders, they all tightened their purse strings, and all of a sudden, prices have skyrocketed. So, what was supposed to be a $130,000 renovation turned into, probably, half-a-million now. So, we have a space that we're paying for that we can't currently use because we can't afford to do the renovations."

Mason-Squires says they've already received some donations, including a grant from the Municipality of the County of Kings, but says they still have a long way to go.

"So, we're just looking for those angel-funders, you know, the people that believe in what we're doing to help support us and the families that we serve," she says.

The organization is also hoping to raise funds for tuition to help more families access its services for free.

"We do not want our families to have to pay anything, we believe our services should be free," says Mason-Squires. "And right now, it's very expensive because we have highly professional staff and trained staff and it's very, very expensive and cost-prohibited for most families, so we want to be able to give that to them for free by raising bursary funds so we can cover that cost for them."

More information on Rowan's Room Developmental Society can be found on the organization's website.