.avif)
.png)
At SMILE Canada, we recognize the growing need for language-specific, culturally safe, and inclusive support as Canada sees an increase in newcomers. At SMILE, 76% of the clients we serve are newcomer families who are navigating the complex journey of resettlement. In addition to the challenges of resettling in a new country, raising a child with a disability while navigating new systems such as healthcare, education, and social services can be especially difficult when English is not a family's first language. It is important to recognize different identities and experiences when providing support, specifically the diversity of languages spoken. It is central to everything we do, grounded in the belief that everyone deserves equitable access to care and understanding.
Language should never be a barrier to accessing critical services yet many of our families struggle to navigate systems and resources because services are not available in their first language. Language barriers coupled with challenges of displacement, trauma, and disability make it even more difficult for newcomers to gain access to healthcare, education, and social service support. We understand that language-specific support is essential. It ensures families get fair, equitable access to services and feel truly cared for. Language-specific support is the first step towards improved health outcomes as it removes barriers to information, improving a family’s well-being. This leads to more timely support, better care for health problems, and opportunities for early intervention. As a result, children experience healthier developmental outcomes, and caregivers are better supported in maintaining their own health and well-being.
That’s why SMILE offers over 1000 families language-specific Service Navigation, a program that centers language accessibility as a key priority. Our Service Navigation program offers support in the following languages: English, Arabic, Urdu, Farsi, and Somali. Approximately 40.3% of our families do not speak English as their first language. Our service navigators are carefully selected and trained to reflect this linguistic diversity. SMILE provides comprehensive training to its service navigators in culturally safe and responsive practices. This training helps navigators understand the unique needs, values, and lived experiences of underserved and underrepresented families allowing them to offer support that is respectful, inclusive, and relevant. Unlike conventional approaches, SMILE’s service navigators are trained to understand different cultures and life experiences. They help families feel safe, respected, and supported while guiding them through systems that can be hard to access.
“Without my Service Navigator, I wouldn’t even know where to begin. They made sure I understood every step” - A SMILE Caregiver
Without access to language-specific, culturally safe guidance, caregivers may have missed doctor’s appointments, misunderstood school supports, or gone without services their child urgently needed. Without the care of a service navigator, many newcomer families face serious barriers across key social determinants of health. They may miss out on essential healthcare, struggle to access disability support in schools, or lose income opportunities due to confusing systems and language barriers. These social determinants of health can lead to increased stress and social isolation. Service navigators bridge these gaps ensuring families aren’t left behind simply because they can’t navigate a system that wasn’t built with them in mind.
In response to the growing need for language-specific support for newcomers, the Ontario Trillium Foundation through the Resilient Communities Fund awarded SMILE Canada with the amount of $100,000 to further support Urdu and Arabic-speaking communities requiring tailored support and service navigation. With the support of OTF, SMILE Canada was able to sustain tailored one-on-one support to the growing Arabic and Urdu-speaking families requiring culturally safe support for their child. From 2024 to 2025, the fund provided support to over 450 newcomer families facing language, communication, and financial barriers, improving their access to social and financial resources, improving their family’s health and well-being.
As SMILE continues to grow, our commitment remains the same: to create spaces where every child and family feel seen, valued, and supported no matter their language, background or circumstance.