The Janusz Korczak Association of Canada is honoured to announce Dr. Dana Brynelsen, OBC, as the recipient of the 2024 Janusz Korczak Statuette for her lifetime achievement in child advocacy and leadership in promoting a holistic approach to the well-being of children.
Dana Brynelsen served as Provincial Advisor for the Infant Development Program of BC from 1975 to 2009. In that role, she supported the development and operation of 55 Infant Development Programs in communities across BC and encouraged the development of a parallel network of Aboriginal Infant Development Programs. She advised on the development, operation and evaluation of early childhood intervention services in BC, Canada, England, New Zealand and Australia.
Dana has a particular interest in Family Centred Care and has presented on this topic at many conferences. She published in the field, served on the Editorial Board of Infants and Young Children, and is past president of Parent Child Mother Goose, a national organization that provides training and sets the policies for this attachment based program. She is also a founding member of the BC FASD Resource Society and a former Director of the Society for Children and Youth.
The BC Early Hearing Program, which provides universal newborn hearing screening and leads to early language intervention for all infants identified with hearing loss, benefited from Dana’s contributions to its development. Hard of hearing from birth, she assisted in the creation of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association and the BC Parent branch, and served as chair of the regulatory body, the Board of Hearing Specialists, for the Ministry of Health for many years.
Dana is the recipient of many awards accepted on behalf of the families served and staff who worked in the IDP. Awards include Year of the Child and Family Award (1979), BCACL Partnership Award (1984), Winston Churchill Fellowship Award (1987), YWCA Woman of Distinction Award (1997), UBC Doctor of Law (Hon) 2004, Federation of Community Services Award for Excellence (2009), BC Council for Families Distinguished Service to Families Award (2010), Order of BC (2014), UVI, Doctor of Laws (Hon) (2017).
Dana retired to Secret Cove in 2011 and in ordinary times is an enthusiastic member of the Sunshine Coast breast cancer dragon boat team, helps run a cancer support group, plays the ukulele really badly and continues to support a range of initiatives concerned with child and family welfare.