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thout KidsAbility â€" Cenâ€" Wre for Child Developâ€" ment, fiveâ€"yearâ€"old Sydnie Holte might never have learned how to walk. The young girl was diagnosed with a rare developmental disorder when she was just a year old. _ And while her mom, Bobbi Holte, still doesn‘t have a clear diagâ€" nosis of what ails her daughter and her younger son Sam, she said she couldn‘t imagine the challenges her family would face without having those supportive services in place. Lack of provincial funding puts KidsAbility‘s programs in Jeopardy No child left behind The truth is she still remembers the long eight months it took before Sydnie could get into the centre for treatment. She was four when she took her first step. And it left Bobbi wondering where her daughter would have been if she had started her treatâ€" ment even earlier. "It‘s devastating because you know you‘re losing time, and their time is very limited," she said. "I just want my children to be proâ€" ductive, contributing members of society." Her daughter is still on a waiting list for a supportive communicaâ€" tion device that will help her comâ€" municate more clearly with kids her own age. As it is, Bobbi still has to do a lot of translating for Sydnie. "We can‘t wait to program the device and have Sydnie be able to order her own Happy Meal," said Bobbi. But after the most recent provincial budget, those waiting lists could get longer. More parents will have to wait to get proper treatâ€" ment for their children because the province didn‘t extend a dime for these types of important early childhood intervention programs. "The side of me who is a busiâ€" ness woman says this doesn‘t make sense," said Bobbi, an accountant by trade who has also been heavily involved with the local highâ€"tech community. "We‘re losing this time and it‘s going to cost more later on in the system. "Right now spending a buck pays huge dividends down the road." She has a simple message for the provincial government. "I don‘t want another parent to go through what I‘ve gone through and have to beg for more funding just to get By Bos VrRANAC Chronicle Staff â€" Fiveâ€"yearâ€"old Sydnie Holte is one of the local children who has been helped by the programs at KidsAbility â€" Cenâ€" tre for Child Development. Some of those programs are in jeopardy with a lack of new provincial funding: their kid off the waiting list," said Bobbi. "You look at things that have been funded and you have to say, ‘Are children a priority here?" "The Ministry (of Children and Youth Services) has a really clear mandate and they‘re not living up to it We have to get to them earlier to give them early intervention and quicker treatment, and not wait until they‘re three. They can‘t wait until they‘re three â€"â€" you have to help them earlier." Dealing with the fallout of the provincial budget is something that Stephen Swatridge, the executive director of KidsAbility, and the rest of the centre‘s board has had to deal with for the past two weeks. The province didn‘t even float â€" connect in this year‘s provincial through cost of living increases or _ budget. funding to offset the rise in inflaâ€" "We‘re making no progress on tion. The workers at the centre have _ the existing waiting list," said Swaâ€" to be paid for their services, but the _ tridge, adding there are currently lack of funding is leading to a proâ€" _ 1,000 children waiting for programs jected shortfall for the centre. the centre provides. "A couple of CITY NEWS That will mean longer waiting lists and even more families strugâ€" gling to get services for their chilâ€" dren so that they have the best start at life. "The number of kids waiting and the time that they wait is going to increase as a result of this zero per cent increase," said Swatridge. "We‘ve given a cost of living increase to our staff and the province hasn‘t kept up." It was a mixed signal from a provincial government that said it was committed to better early childhood outcomes the past two years and put their money where their mouth was. That‘s why Swaâ€" tridge couldn‘t understand the disâ€" connect in this year‘s provincial budget. years ago they gave us an increase in funding and allowed us to take another 500 children off the wait list. Now, two years later, there‘s nothing for anybody involved with children." Swatridge said the impact will be felt starting this summer if something doesn‘t change in terms of provincial funding. And that will make the centre‘s fundraising efforts even more important conâ€" tinuing this Friday with the Kids Can‘t Wait Radiothon at Conestoga Mall in partnership with three local radio stations â€" 96.7 CHYMâ€"FM, KICK 106.7â€"FM and 570 News. "This community has been supâ€" portive and generous of the kids that we serve," said Swatridge. "That‘s in such contrast to the provincial government. And we just don‘t understand that." Lisa Talbot, the executive direcâ€" tor of KidsAbility Foundation, who is responsible for those fundraising WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, April 9, 2008 * 3 initiatives, said they‘re hoping for a big response with the radiothon‘s expanded format this year. _ The program kicks off at 6 a.m. and goes until 6 p.m. Every $230 raised in donations will take anothâ€" er child off the centre‘s waiting list and help them in their pursuit of living as independently as possible. The Kid‘s Can‘t Wait campaign hopes to raise more than $800,000 in support of the centre‘s programâ€" ming, with more funding necessary to make up for the drop in provinâ€" cial funding. "We see more than 4,000 kids a year," said Talbot. "The community has stepped up every year to help us because we want to help as many kids as we can. "And knowing that we‘re not getâ€" ting more government funding this year will have a huge impact for us because we know we‘re not even keeping up with inflation." Michael Collins, the general manager of Rogers Kitchener Radio Group, which operates all three staâ€" tions, said one visit to the centre was all they needed to convince them of the importance of supportâ€" ing KidsAbility. And with a funding crunch looming this year, it‘s more imporâ€" tant than ever that radio personaliâ€" ties like CHYM‘s morning team of George Michaels and Tara Connors, and NewsTalk‘s Gary Doyle, are helping out. "We‘re doing this to shorten the waiting times and unfortunately the waiting times are getting longer," said Collins. "What we‘ve come to understand ... is that the sooner these kids that face these challenges get help the better. Collins knows how important communication skills are in his industry. They‘re even more imporâ€" tant for these children. "To wait a year for help is a terriâ€" ble, terrible thing." . "This is about raising money," said Collins. "But more importantly, it‘s about raising the profile of KidsAbility and the services that they offer." For Bobbi and her children, KidsAbility is a home away from home, with Sydnie and Sam blowâ€" ing kisses to it whenever they pass by the centre off Davenport Road. "They call it the Butterfly Cenâ€" tre," said Bobbi, whose daughter Sydnie was a children‘s ambassador for the centre last year. "You can really tell what it means to them."