Tell Us Your Story. What motivated you to start your business? Why are you passionate about what you do?

The World’s Ours was founded in 2020 by myself, Koryn Heisler. As a mother of three children, two of which have autism, I wanted to create a community for my children where they felt belonging, safety, and unconditional welcomeness. Being a parent to children with disabilities in Vancouver is challenging. Our mission is to provide quality programming and support to families with neurodiverse children or children who require additional support. We aim to offer a safe, inclusive and supportive environment with the resources parents need to thrive while their children thrive. Our Kids Programmes are offered to children ranging from ages 0-18. These programs are designed to help neurodiverse children and children with disabilities learn new skills and have fun. We have expanded our offerings over time to meet the needs of our community. These include: After School Club Art Class Birthday Parties Cooking Class Games Club Music Therapy Social Play Group STEM Group Summer Programs Our Adult Programmes are designed to give parents a break with fun activities where they can socialize with other like-minded parents and learn new things. Notably, our Parents Night Out s serve to give parents time together while their children are well cared for. Our Adult programs include: Parents Night Out Moms Meeting Moms Events All of our programs are delivered by qualified, well-trained staff and volunteers in a class size smaller than 6. Additionally, our programs begin with a social-emotional check-in, and end with a reflection or a showcase of new skills developed. Beyond the programs listed above, we partner with service providers to offer additional supports for our community. Parents have access to a variety of service providers including therapists, counsellors, psychologists, speech and language pathologists, tutors, and more. Further, we have partnered with Nestworks, which offers a co-working space at our facility in Vancouver. This gives working parents the opportunity to work while their children are cared for by certified professionals. Our goal is to create a one-stop shop so parents have access to the resources they need in one place. Since opening our Vancouver location in 2022, we have seen steady growth each month with new service providers signing on and more kids attending classes.

Describe and demonstrate, including metrics, your community support. How do you support and uplift your community, and how do they show that support in return? Minimum 25 words, maximum 2500 characters.

This World’s Ours exists to make a positive impact in our local community. One of the biggest challenges faced by parents that have children with disabilities is a lack of community. Often, they’re struggling to find resources and other parents to connect with. This is particularly important for single mothers who are navigating parenthood alone. The various programs, courses, and events we host help parents expand their network and meet other like-minded individuals facing similar challenges. We actively collaborate with local organizations and service providers to share their expertise and resources. By building these partnerships and sharing best practices, we can help create a more inclusive educational landscape, benefiting not just the children we serve but the broader community. The range of services we offer also helps local parents find a sense of comfort. We find most parents we’ve been working with have fallen in the gaps of the system; either they’re on a waitlist indefinitely, haven’t been approved, or their leave is up and they need to go back to work without a daycare solution. We foster a community where parents can come together and feel confident that their children are getting the best resources possible. By offering specialized daycare and educational programming, we are meeting a crucial need in our community and aiming to set a new standard for inclusion and accessibility. We are actively challenging societal norms and breaking down barriers by promoting acceptance, understanding, and empowerment for all children. Our community shows up to support us at the centre by referring their friends, sharing about us on social media, and continuing to sign up and come to our programs and events. Our families are absolutely incredible and continue to support us daily and often go above and beyond by thanking our team with treats and bringing in coffee and goodies. We feel so incredibly fortunate to have such amazing people supporting us.

Why do you deserve to win the Business Impact award?

I am the best candidate for this position because I believe in lifelong learning, have a focus on diversity and inclusion and prioritize building community. This year I have prioritized networking and community events in an effort to meet more people and to help build a community around the centre for our participants and families. This has involved co-hosting mom’s events, holding resource fairs for professionals and families, hosting service providers evenings, and hosting open houses for our programs and providers. I have also been dedicated to continuing my learning and ways to help grow my business, by attending workshops and courses to support in these areas. The most recent courses that I am a part of are the We BC Mentoring 2.0 program, The Forum’s Mentoring Program, and TD’s Ignite & Innovate Workshop. These programs allow me to brainstorm with like minded professionals and learn additional skills to support growing my business. It also allows me to ask questions and receive feedback from other business owners that I can take back to my Administration Team. I have an ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion and continue to work towards ensuring that we are being as inclusive as possible within our centre, programs and events. We have dedicated time and resources to ensuring our programs meet the needs of our clients and that we do everything from a person centered approach. I have also been prioritizing our growth as a business through goal setting and measuring success based on measurable outcomes with my Administrative Team.

Tell Us About Your Culture. How are you creating a sustainable and healthy workplace where everyone feels welcome? Provide examples of leadership you show in interactions with clients, vendors, contractors, staff and others.

We are by design an Inclusive centre in Vancouver, supporting families with children with disabilities. Due to this, inclusion is at the heart of our organization and embedded into our operational practices. From ensuring our space is accessible to people with disabilities to designing our space with environmental supports and access to sensory space and materials as needed, we have ensured that we are creating a welcoming and safe environment for everyone that enters our space. One challenge we faced was showing that we were inclusive in all areas of our business, not just in how it relates to supporting people with disabilities. We have also made a commitment this year to ensure our space is welcoming to the LGBTQI+ community by registering with the Safe Space Alliance and ensuring that our space is safe for their community. This is incredibly important to me because my child is transgender, and I want to ensure that we are being clear and intentional in our marketing to families that we will support you and your child no matter what and that we show this outwardly in the community. We have created volunteer opportunities for people with disabilities to help build their self esteem and learn skills necessary for employment and graduation. We work closely with our neighboring school to provide volunteer opportunities for their life skills students at the centre and also provide them with references that they can use for school and other employment opportunities. What sets us apart is our highly trained and compassionate staff. Our team has gone through comprehensive training and have a deep understanding of the unique challenges and strengths of these children. With their expertise, they provide personalized care, support, and guidance to each child, fostering their social, emotional, and cognitive development. We go beyond traditional childcare by offering various programs that are tailored to the needs of children with disabilities. Our curriculum is designed to promote inclusivity, communication skills, social interaction, and self-expression. We understand that every child is unique and deserves a nurturing environment that celebrates their individuality while supporting their specific needs. We aim to ensure our staff are paid a living wage, full time staff are given benefits, and we provide flexible hours and scheduling.

Why do you think you should win the Premier’s People’s Choice Award?

The World’s Ours was founded in 2020 by myself, Koryn Heisler. As a mother of three children, two of which have autism, I wanted to create a community for my children where they felt belonging, safety, and unconditional welcomeness. Being a parent to children with disabilities in Vancouver is challenging. Our mission is to provide quality programming and support to families with neurodiverse children or children who require additional support. We aim to offer a safe, inclusive and supportive environment with the resources parents need to thrive while their children thrive. This World’s Ours exists to make a positive impact in our local community. We foster a community where parents can come together and feel confident that their children are getting the best resources possible.