Healthy Child Manitoba

COACH

COACH is a 24-hour wrap around program for children with extreme behavioural, emotional, social and academic issues. The COACH program currently supports children age five to eleven in the Winnipeg School Division.

In it`s 11th year, COACH is a collaboration between the Winnipeg School Division, McDonald Youth Services, Winnipeg Child Guidance Clinic, Child and Family Services Standing Committee and Healthy Child Manitoba.

The COACH program includes a year-round, interdisciplinary approach to supporting students and their families or guardians during the day, evenings and on the weekend.  The goal is to get children back into a classroom setting at a neighbourhood school. The school program has the capacity for 8 children who attend from 1-3 years. At any given time approximately 12-15 COACH students are in various stages of transition to specialized classrooms in the community.

The program has received a YES I CAN! Award from the Manitoba Council for Exceptional Children acknowledging its innovative work with children who have profound behavioural and academic challenges.

Evaluation of the program has shown that students have significantly improved behaviour and academic performance. Data indicates the children attended school much more regularly, gained social skills, learned to manage aggressive feelings and performed better in class.