About Us
Jennifer Breaton
Jennifer Breaton, RN, MHSc is a recognized healthcare leader who has worked in health care and social services for over 20 years. She is passionate about women’s and children’s health. Jennifer is a collaborative systems leader who believes communities are stronger when they work together. Jennifer joined Monica Place in September 2018 and is thrilled to be part of such a fantastic team.
Eva Lukacsovics
Eva Lukacsovics, B.A.BSW. M.A. is our counsellor at Monica Place. She works to support our young women across both sites and in her work she wears many hats! Eva is a certified instructor for Circle of Security and also a Certified Fitness Instructor. Eva is multi-talented and can often be found painting, knitting or teaching yoga.
Madeline Mills
Madeline Mills, BSc Hon., M.A is our Office Manager and is responsible to make sure our agency stays in great shape. She has over 20 years of experience in health care and social services. Madeline manages staffing and facilities and supports our board of directors. She is also passionate about working with seniors when she is not working at Monica Place. In her free time she enjoys creating textile art, reading, music and attending cultural festivals to celebrate diversity.
Thank you to all of our wonderful staff and volunteers for your irreplaceable contribution.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are your services?
Are you an emergency shelter?
Do you have an age limit? Or any other restrictions?
Is there a fee for any of your services?
Are you able to refer me to other services?
Are you able to provide me with diapers and wipes?
How many people do you help?
I'm looking to donate items to your centre; do you accept them?
I have a gently used car seat, am I able to donate it?
I'm looking to make a financial donation to your centre; where do I start?
PROGRAM AND SERVICES
Monica Place Program and Services Model
Located in Waterloo Region, Monica Place is an accredited, registered non-profit child and youth mental health agency focused on the needs of pregnant and parenting youth and their children.
Monica Place offers services in two locations, Monica Place Waterloo and Monica Place Cambridge. Monica Place’s trauma-informed, holistic programs and services include: Chaplaincy Program, Childminding Program, Circle of Security, Counselling Program, Parent and Child Residential Program, Prenatal Health Program, Prenatal Parenting Program, Prenatal Residential Program, SKILLS Program, Speakers Corner, Transitional Residential Program, Monica Place Cambridge Supportive Housing Program and a fully accredited Section 23 School Program. Since 1968, Monica Place remains an innovative centre that motivates, educates, nurtures and empowers pregnant or parenting youth to make healthy choices for themselves and their children.
Monica Place is governed by a volunteer board of directors that provides effective and ethical governance leadership on behalf of its stakeholders’ (persons we support, donors, staff, volunteers, community) interest to ensure that the organization focuses on its purpose and outcomes for persons served, resulting in the organization’s long-term success and viability.
Rights and Responsibilities of the People We Support
Being in service with Monica Place means you have some important Rights that you should be aware of and also a number of Responsibilities that go hand in hand with your Rights. Learn more by downloading the PDF.
Annual Reports
Click on the thumbnails below to view our annual reports.
Annual Report 2018-2019Open BookCurrent Strategic Plan
The Monica Place strategic plan outlines the organization’s goals, as well as the steps needed to reach them, in the fields of public relations, program, finances, and human resources. The plan outlines steps beginning in 2019 and ending in the year 2028.
Infant Mental Health Promotion
Infant mental health promotion refers to the social, emotional and cognitive well-being of infants and young children. Through extensive research and a strong professional knowledge base, at Monica Place, we recognize the importance of providing opportunities for the overall optimal outcomes of the families and children we serve.
Supporting infant mental health means that we:
• Work collaboratively with children, parents and community partners to prevent difficulties
• Intervene early when children are identified as being “at risk”
• Encourage a sense of security, safety and the ability to establish and maintain satisfying and healthy relationships
• Promote the ability for parents and young children to cope with and solve problems within their environment
• Strive to promote stable, supportive families and communities
A child’s development in the early years is crucial; this is a period of time where the relationships children form build the foundation for their perception of their own self-worth and abilities, as well as that of their caregivers and of the world around them. We believe that parent education is vital and that when parents are armed with information regarding their child’s development in regards to their social-emotional and cognitive needs, they are better prepared to understand how best to respond to their child appropriately. Stress in the parenting system directly affects a parent’s sense of self in their parenting role and especially contributes to the perception they have of their child. By targeting our interventions early, and directly working within the parent-child dyad, we are providing the most effective form of infant mental health treatment.
Accessible Customer Service Plan
Monica Place is committed to excellence and the continual improvement process of access for people with disabilities to our facilities and services for our residents, staff, volunteers, contractors, visitors and other members of the community.
Monica Place promotes accessibility as prescribed by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act through our policies, procedures and practices governing the provision of its services to people with disabilities and the identification and removal of barriers.
People with disabilities will be permitted the accompaniment by support persons, guide dogs or other service animals while accessing our services at Monica Place.
This Accessible Customer Service Plan will be reviewed and if necessary revised once per year. Any revisions will be communicated to residents, staff, volunteers, contractors and the community by the way of email, postings and updates on the Monica Place website page. This plan will also be available upon request in a manner that takes into account the person’s disability.
All information and communications materials and services provided by Monica Place shall follow the principles of dignity, independence, integration and equal opportunity. Monica Place is in compliance with the Integrated Accessibility Standards, Ontario Regulation 191/11 for the Employment Standard set forth under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. This policy applies to the provision of information and communications services and materials for people with disabilities.
PROGRAM AND SERVICES
Monica Place Program and Services Model
Located in Waterloo Region, Monica Place is an accredited, registered non-profit child and youth mental health agency focused on the needs of pregnant and parenting youth and their children.
Monica Place offers services in two locations, Monica Place Waterloo and Monica Place Cambridge. Monica Place’s trauma-informed, holistic programs and services include: Chaplaincy Program, Childminding Program, Circle of Security, Counselling Program, Parent and Child Residential Program, Prenatal Health Program, Prenatal Parenting Program, Prenatal Residential Program, SKILLS Program, Speakers Corner, Transitional Residential Program, Monica Place Cambridge Supportive Housing Program and a fully accredited Section 23 School Program. Since 1968, Monica Place remains an innovative centre that motivates, educates, nurtures and empowers pregnant or parenting youth to make healthy choices for themselves and their children.
Monica Place is governed by a volunteer board of directors that provides effective and ethical governance leadership on behalf of its stakeholders’ (persons we support, donors, staff, volunteers, community) interest to ensure that the organization focuses on its purpose and outcomes for persons served, resulting in the organization’s long-term success and viability.
Rights and Responsibilities of the People We Support
Being in service with Monica Place means you have some important Rights that you should be aware of and also a number of Responsibilities that go hand in hand with your Rights. Learn more by downloading our Rights and Responsibilities PDF or the Rights Resource Poster.
Annual Reports
For an in depth look at the progress Monica Place has made in previous years, please have a look through current and previous annual reports.
Open Book Annual Report 2018-2019Current Strategic Plan
The Monica Place strategic plan outlines the organization’s goals, as well as the steps needed to reach them, in the fields of public relations, program, finances, and human resources. The plan outlines steps beginning in 2019 and ending in the year 2028.
Infant Mental Health Promotion
Infant mental health promotion refers to the social, emotional and cognitive well-being of infants and young children. Through extensive research and a strong professional knowledge base, at Monica Place, we recognize the importance of providing opportunities for the overall optimal outcomes of the families and children we serve.
Supporting infant mental health means that we:
• Work collaboratively with children, parents and community partners to prevent difficulties
• Intervene early when children are identified as being “at risk”
• Encourage a sense of security, safety and the ability to establish and maintain satisfying and healthy relationships
• Promote the ability for parents and young children to cope with and solve problems within their environment
• Strive to promote stable, supportive families and communities
A child’s development in the early years is crucial; this is a period of time where the relationships children form build the foundation for their perception of their own self-worth and abilities, as well as that of their caregivers and of the world around them. We believe that parent education is vital and that when parents are armed with information regarding their child’s development in regards to their social-emotional and cognitive needs, they are better prepared to understand how best to respond to their child appropriately. Stress in the parenting system directly affects a parent’s sense of self in their parenting role and especially contributes to the perception they have of their child. By targeting our interventions early, and directly working within the parent-child dyad, we are providing the most effective form of infant mental health treatment.
Accessible Customer Service Plan
Monica Place is committed to excellence and the continual improvement process of access for people with disabilities to our facilities and services for our residents, staff, volunteers, contractors, visitors and other members of the community.
Monica Place promotes accessibility as prescribed by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act through our policies, procedures and practices governing the provision of its services to people with disabilities and the identification and removal of barriers.
People with disabilities will be permitted the accompaniment by support persons, guide dogs or other service animals while accessing our services at Monica Place.
This Accessible Customer Service Plan will be reviewed and if necessary revised once per year. Any revisions will be communicated to residents, staff, volunteers, contractors and the community by the way of email, postings and updates on the Monica Place website page. This plan will also be available upon request in a manner that takes into account the person’s disability.
All information and communications materials and services provided by Monica Place shall follow the principles of dignity, independence, integration and equal opportunity. Monica Place is in compliance with the Integrated Accessibility Standards, Ontario Regulation 191/11 for the Employment Standard set forth under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. This policy applies to the provision of information and communications services and materials for people with disabilities.
PRIVACY
General Privacy Information
Privacy of personal information is of the utmost importance. We are committed to collecting, using and disclosing personal information responsibly and only to the extent necessary for the services we provide. We are open and transparent in how we handle personal information. The document linked below provides an overview of our privacy policies.
Website Privacy Policy
By reading this web site and its pages you are declaring that you have understood and acknowledge these conditions.
The information contained in this website, including links, categories, and descriptions is intended to be merely informative to users and does not constitute any advice. Any person with counselling questions should always consult with and seek the advice of a qualified practitioner.
Monica Place makes no representations, warranties, claims, promises or guarantees about the completeness, accuracy, or adequacy of the search results, information, or links contained on this website or on third-party websites.
In no event shall Monica Place be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages, whatsoever, arising out of the use of this website. No material from this site may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted or distributed in any way, except that you may download or print copies for the materials for personal, non-commercial use only, provided that you do not delete any of the copyright and other proprietary notices. Modification of the materials or use of the materials for any other purposed is a violation of copyright and other proprietary rights. Any use or modification of this material in whole or in part for any other purpose is strictly prohibited. Any unauthorized use of the images may violate copyright laws, trademark laws, the laws relating to privacy and publicity, or communication regulations and statutes.
Monica Place Policy: Collection, Use and Release of Personal Information – Website and Electronic Commerce
We do not automatically gather any personal information such as client name, phone number, e-mail or address through our website. This information is only obtained if it is supplied voluntarily, through contacting us via e-mail, or by asking to receive electronic newsletters or other information;
Any personal information provided to us will not be sold to any third party;
We use software that receives and records the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer that has contacted our website. We make no attempt to link these addresses with the identity of individuals contacting our site. The information is used to improve the content of and/or measure the level of interest in our site and is not shared with other organizations;
Whenever we enable “cookies” to facilitate our transactions, we will first inform the client; and
If stakeholders choose to participate in an online forum or discussion group, we may ask that they volunteer personal information such as name and e-mail address for the purposes of effective administration of the forum or discussion group; and
We will not disclose this information to anyone outside of Monica Place without prior consent.
