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As Five Counties Children’s Centre marks its 50th anniversary in 2025, the last year has also been a banner one for the organization, which has helped more kids than ever before, says CEO Scott Pepin.
Five Counties served more than 6,200 kids and youths across Northumberland, Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County for the 2024-25 year, translating to the highest number of kids ever served in its history, according to its latest annual report.
Pepin tells us this also translates to a record number of visits and help with treatment for kids with physical, developmental and communication needs.
And yet, as demand continues to soar and referrals for high-demand services flood in, the team has also managed to put a dent in waitlists for kids’ treatment services, the organization shared as the team recently gathered for its annual general meeting.
And these weren’t the only records or wins along the way in 2024-25.
There were investments in staff, more monies raised to help more kids – more than $2.1 million in fundraising, setting another new record – and program enhancements.
Pepin tells us more.
Pepin says staff continue to thrive when it comes to innovation and meeting new challenges, and it’s ultimately their care, compassion and commitment to local kids and families that is making the difference when it comes to improving quality of life and well-being.
According to Five Counties’ annual report, the number of kids waiting for services hovered at just over 2,180 as of March 31, 2025.
The figure does represent a drop from the year 2023-24, and a 15.3 per cent reduction over the past three years – but it also comes as 3,506 more children were referred to Five Counties over the past year, explain staff.
Recognizing one child waiting for care is ultimately one too many, Pepin says staff will continue to persevere when it comes to tackling demand for care.
In terms of other notable accomplishments highlighted in the report, Five Counties also expanded evidence-based services, such as its autism spectrum disorder diagnostic pathway initiative to better support family physicians in their autism diagnoses for pediatric patients, as one example.
The centre has also ramped up family engagement services, organized new events like “Ready for School” and the “All-o-ween,” an accessible trick-or-treating experience, to name a few more examples.
In the community, the centre was chosen as Not-For-Profit of the Year by the Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce in its 2025 Business Excellence Awards. The organization also secured another three-year accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) in January, translating to a seal of approval for kids and families when it comes to excellence in service delivery, client satisfaction, innovative programs and community involvement, noted staff.
For Pepin, he shared he’s particularly proud of investments in staff and hearing through staff surveys that 98 per cent of respondents are proud to work for the centre and 97 per cent feel their job plays an important role in making a difference for area families.
By investing more in staff, Pepin says the centre was also able to better recruit and retain employees, which has been reflected over the past year in low staff turnover rates and fewer open positions.
Five Counties helps kids at their centre locations, as well as provides treatment services in local schools.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
