One of BACI’s key goals as an organization is to promote the social and economic inclusion of people with disabilities.
That means helping the people we support find ways to participate fully in their community — making friends, going places, and doing things that they like.
BACI offers Community Inclusion services that support adults in small groups and on a one-to-one basis, to access and participate in a range of events and activities within their local communities. The activities take advantage of each person’s strengths and abilities, focusing on recreation, personal growth and development, relationship building and volunteer activities through individualized programs. Supports are typically provided Monday through Friday during the daytime, however we strive to be flexible to meet the needs of participants.
We have partnerships with the City of Burnaby and offer a number of adapted recreational activities throughout the day at local community centres. In addition, we inquire into a person’s desire to work. If they are interested, we assist in exploring pre-employment skills through volunteering and other work-related activities.
Person Referenced Outcomes:
- People have a strong sense of independence and autonomy
- People are learning and trying new things
- People are building and maintaining social relationships.
- People have a strong sense of self-esteem.
- People feel connected and have a strong sense of belonging in the community
- People are invested in their physical and emotional health, fitness and safety.
All participants must be referred through CLBC. Service levels are determined through the CLBC referral process.
For more information, please contact community.inclusion@gobaci.com or call 604-299-7851.
BACI’s Employment Services & Training (BEST)
BEST is a service developed by BACI to empower individuals to find jobs and make meaningful contributions to the communities in which they live. We assist individuals of varying abilities to find and maintain employment that matches their skills and interests.
We collaborate with employers to help them diversify to the greatest extent possible, to ensure that both employer and employee are satisfied. Our effective personalized service focuses on meeting employers’ business needs through positive and innovative employment solutions.
We Offer FREE Employment Service and Training
- Pre-Recruitment: We are committed to learning about your business and the skills and abilities needed to fill the open positions.
- Quality Job Matching: We provide pre-screened individuals who have the skills to meet your business needs.
- On-site Coaching: We offer 1:1 support to the new employee – at no cost to you. We will assist the development of the employee/employer relationship to maintain successful employment.
Find our BEST Customized Employment Handbook for Job Seekers here.
Read about Laura and Ramon’s BEST success stories here.
For more information on BEST, please go to www.bestemployment.ca, email BEST, or call 604-299-5100.
Life Sharing means living with and sharing all of life’s experiences together and forming a supportive and caring relationship.
It’s a three-way relationship between the Life Sharing provider, the person with disabilities/their family and BACI. Each of the members has a role to play in the relationship, and each member comes to the relationship with a set of hopes, dreams, and expectations.
While every Life Sharing relationship is unique, there are some hopes and expectations that are common, such as the hope of a good life lived with purpose and the expectation to be treated and supported with respect.
For more information, please contact lifesharing@gobaci.com or call 604-299-7851, or check out the Life Sharing Person Served & Family Handbook, the Life Sharing Providers’ Guide, or go to the Life Sharing website.
BACI operates 15 staffed homes, which provide support to two to five individuals per home.
Individuals receive support in our staff-supported homes, where one finds comfort, refuge and renewal. It is a place of belonging. It is also an extension of the one who lives there, a place where one’s personal tastes and preferences are visible.
Creating homes for adults with disabilities can sometimes be challenging because of the diverse interests, influences and demands that bear upon such efforts. Nevertheless, within our capacity to do so, we are committed to providing the means for making a genuine “home” to those who receive our residential services.
For more information, please contact reception@gobaci.com or call 604-299-7851.
BACI’s Family Support Services provides opportunities for families who have a family member with a disability to:
- Join other families in social and recreational activities
- Attend information and support workshops so they may better support their loved one with a disability
- Attend meetings where they can share the joys and challenges of sharing their lives with a family member with a disability
For more information, please click here, or contact reception@gobaci.com or call 604-299-7851.
Find a list of key resources for parent support and education here.
BACI’s Respite Program offers wellness support to individuals and families caring for their child with special needs.
At BACI, we believe that respite is a physical and emotional retreat, where relaxation and renewal can create strength and resilience. Every family’s idea of respite is unique. BACI is dedicated to meeting those needs.
BACI’s goal is to offer respite services that contribute to the entire family’s well being. We recognize the balance that must be achieved between meeting the support needs of the people we serve, the family’s support needs, and BACI’s capacity to respond. Our services are designed to achieve that balance and are framed around the belief that families will experience real respite when service includes the following features:
- Flexibility
- Quality supports
- Choice
- Transparent communication
- Accessibility
To receive a referral to BACI’s Respite Services, families should contact Community Living British Columbia (CLBC) for adults, or the Ministry for Children & Family Development (MCFD) for children. With the referral will come the approved amount of funding available for Respite Services. The amount of funding available will influence the type and amount of Respite Services possible. If you are having trouble connecting to either of these referral bodies, please contact one of the Respite Managers at BACI.
For Adult Respite, please contact lifesharing@gobaci.com or call 604-299-7851.
For Children’s Respite, please contact reception@gobaci.com or call 604-299-7851.
Please see our Respite Handbook for more details.
Options are available for fully subsidized, accessible and integrated housing at Filby Court, Stride Place, Orchard Heights, Rosser and Madison.
For more information on Stride Place, see the Stride Place Tenant Handbook here.
For information on BACI’s other subsidized housing, please contact our Housing Support & Property Manager at 604-515-7510.
We are exploring individualized housing options such as co-housing and home ownership for the people we support.
To learn more contact reception@gobaci.com or call 604-299-7851.
Outreach Services
- Offers support for people who live on their own or with their family or friends in the community. We serve between 80 – 100 people with developmental disabilities and high functioning people with autism, Asperger’s Syndrome or FASD.
- Our goal is to help people learn skills to do things on their own, lead more meaningful lives, and take a more active role in their community.
- For more information, contact reception@gobaci.com or call 604-299-7851.
Burnaby Association of Self Advocates (BASA)
- Meets to talk about issues, share information, or offer peer support.
- For more information, contact basa@gobaci.com or call 604-299-7851.
Child Care
BACI has been providing accessible child care for over 20 years. For children aged 5 years and younger, we have 3 centres which offer full-time child care — Fairhaven, Little Eagles, and Variety Cariboo. Since 2008, we have been using BC’s Early Learning Framework as a cornerstone for our centres’ programming.
Our newest child care centre — Little Eagles at 3755 Banff Avenue in Burnaby — opened in 2022. Like all our other centres, this licensed facility provides inclusive child care that supports healthy and optimal growth and development for all children.
PLEASE NOTE: While our Variety Cariboo centre is currently accepting applications, the wait lists at Fairhaven and Little Eagles are closed until further notice. Due to the high volume of wait list applications at these 2 centres, we are unable to respond to individual inquiries regarding where your child is on the wait list and the anticipated enrolment date.
Child Care Centre Fees:
BACI is excited to confirm that 2 of our child care centres — Fairhaven and Variety Cariboo — have been chosen as provincial Universal Child Care Prototype Sites. Families pay no more than $200 a month per child for full-time enrolment during regular business hours, regardless of the care type. For some low-income families, child care could be free. Please note: The waitlist for Fairhaven is currently full.
Our Little Eagles Child Care Centre has been approved to receive the Child Care Fee Reduction from BC’s Ministry of Child and Family Development. Full-time enrolment is a priority at our children’s centres. Effective May 1, 2024, full-time rates for children aged 0-18 months at Little Eagles are $678 per month ($1578 – $900 Fee Reduction); aged 19-36 months are $590 per month ($1490 – $900 Fee Reduction); aged 3-5 years are $509 per month ($1054 – $545 Fee Reduction).
For more in-depth information, check out our Children’s Services Family Handbook.
Also see our Child Care brochure.
Please see our Child Care Application here. Please email the completed application to: childcare.intake@gobaci.com
Out of School Child Care
Out-of-School Care Centre Fees:
Full-time enrolment is a priority at our children’s centres. Full-time fees are $613 per month (with Pro-D Days). Please note that this increase covers an additional week of Spring Break.
The program is open to those under 18 years of age, and families can receive up to 28 days of respite per fiscal year. Families may use respite for half-days, full-days or 24-hour periods. Respite can be spread throughout the fiscal year, or condensed over a shorter period, (i.e. used over summer vacation).To access respite through BACI, families must be eligible for CYSN (Children/Youth with Special needs). CYSN assigns vacancies based on a family assessment and current need. Families interested in respite need to speak to their social worker for service inquiry. Families without a social worker need to contact the Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD) to request an intake worker for their child.The BACI Respite Program allows for flexibility and choice. Options include:
- Out-of-home respite
- In-home respite
- In-community respite
Families are set up with Respite Contractors screened through BACI. If families would like a specific person to be their child’s respite provider (i.e. a family friend or a member of an educational-based team), they can request that person be screened through BACI.
For more information on BACI’s Respite program, please contact reception@gobaci.com or call 604-299-7851. Also see our Respite Handbook.
For information on resources and activities for youth and families in Burnaby and New Westminster, check out this guide.
Infant Services
Teen Program – Quick Facts:
- The program operates throughout the year.
- Enrolment is on a first come, first served basis.
- Parents are responsible for transporting their children to and from the program’s starting point.
For more information, please contact reception@gobaci.com at 604-299-7851.
Summer Teen Program:
The Summer Teen Program offers cool, full-day adventures for youth with disabilities.
The program is funded by the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD), and is offered to teens aged 13 to 18 who live in Burnaby and New Westminster. Please note: all participants for this program must qualify through MCFD.
- This program operates 5 days per week during the summer months.
- It relies on public transit for the majority of activities. (Teens must have GoCards or bus passes.)
- Teens requiring 1:1 support must provide their own worker. (There is typically a ratio of 1 staff to 4 youth.)
- Registration is for full weeks only.
- Program fees are $75 per week.
- Spaces are limited to 15 teens per day.
- Attendance is limited to 2-4 weeks per child, depending on program enrolment.
- Applications are not final until confirmation is received from BACI.
Each week of activities focuses on a special theme. Themes in past years have included: Zootopia, Nature Explorers, Mad Science, All-Star Sports, Arts & Culture, Adventure Time and Under the Sea.
If you have any further questions, please contact reception@gobaci.com or call 604-299-7851. Also see our Youth Services brochure.