The RISE Program
RISE, meaning Respite, Inclusion, Skills and Education, is our integrated community program model. Rather than offering a single service, it brings together a network of trusted partners to deliver four streams of support under one coordinated model.
Four streams, one coordinated model
Respite
- PA Days, school breaks and summer camp. Structured group experiences that give families a break and give children somewhere good to be.
Inclusion
- Community programming and meaningful peer connection, in the settings where children actually live, play and learn.
Skills
- Social skills and peer inclusion groups, and applied behaviour analysis delivered individually or in groups through partner providers.
Education
- Structured learning support, parent coaching and caregiver education, and alternative or hybrid schooling options.
Embers leads the Respite and Inclusion streams, providing structured group experiences, community programming and meaningful peer connection.
Every child in RISE is supported by a team that communicates, coordinates and shares a common goal: meaningful progress in the settings where children actually live, play and learn.
RISE exists because no single provider can meet the whole child. It was designed for the families who have been told to wait, and who deserve something better than waiting alone.
Who RISE is for
Children aged 2 and up with an autism diagnosis or in the assessment process, whose families are on OAP or private waitlists or navigating a gap in funded services.
How to get started
Families apply through the Embers subsidy application. Our program coordinator reviews each one and follows up with eligible placements across the streams that best fit your child and your family's circumstances.
Where programs run
Programs run across community sites in Durham Region and Scarborough, including partner clinic space, with Kitchener-Waterloo from September 2026.
Our summer camp also runs in West Toronto, which the subsidised RISE programs do not currently cover. See the camp sites.