History

In 1986 a steering Committee was set up to ascertain the needs of people with developmental and/or physical disabilities. The target area covered the Quinte region and surrounding communities. The Committee was made up of representatives from William R. Kirk School, Cheshire Homes and A.R.C. Industries. All of these agencies supported people whose needs were not being met by existing day programs.

Originally programming focused on a life skills component and then incorporated the functional academics as per Ministry of Education curriculum guidelines. COED became an incorporated non-profit entity on April 7th, 1989.

In September 1996 we, along with all adult literacy programs, COED was faced with complete elimination of funding from the Provincial government. This left COED completely reliant on the community through fundraising, private and corporate donations and the financial support from the United Way HPE.

Today

Today, COED maintains a person-centered approach to program delivery. The program is constantly evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of the people being supported, and the expectations of society.

COED continues to strive for excellence for the people we support.

COED is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. The Board of Directors includes representation from community agency personnel, parents/caregivers of students, other educational staff, private citizens, business and professional individuals. Directors meet monthly to monitor financial, admittance, and operational functions. 

Together we can make a difference!