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News Page
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CBC Interview with Fraser Mustard
For decades Fraser Mustard has been conducting research, compiling evidence and assessing other countries' best practices. The result, he says, points to one thing. interventions made for children between birth and 6 years of age can set up a child for life. To listen to the interview, click HERE.
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10 Ways to be a
Better Dad
To read the
National
Fatherhood
Initiative's
tips to being a
better Dad,
click
HERE.
To visit their
website for more
fatherhood
information,
click
HERE.
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Left to right:
OSNS staff
member and
program
participants;
Tanya Behardien
(CFK Co-Chair
and Executive
Director of the
Penticton and
District
Community
Resources
Society); The
Honourable
Minister Mary
Polak; Judy
Sentes (CFK
Committee
member,
Penticton City
Council member,
and Executive
Director of OSNS
Child
Development
Centre); Blair
Lischeron (CFK
Project
Coordinator).
On
October 15, 2009,
members of the CFK
Steering Committee and
staff met with Minister
Polak in Penticton.
Those present included:
Tanya Behardien, Jim
Insley (CFK Co-Chair and
Assistant Superintendent
of School District 53),
Judy Sentes, James
MacNamara (CFK Committee
member and MCFD
Community Service
Manager), Blair
Lischeron and Lynn Cook
(CFK Administrative
Assistant). The
Minister was given a
tour of the Child
Development Centre and
then sat down with CFK
to discuss the important
work our early childhood
development coalition
does. CFK provided
the Minister with a
document outlining our
early development
projects, made possible
through our partnership
with Success by 6®.
To
date, Success by 6®
project spending totals
over $270,000 of direct
grants, plus over
$250,000 of leveraged
funds from community
partners, for a total of
more than half a million
dollars in resources
invested in early
childhood development in
the South
Okanagan-Similkameen
since 2006. CFK
implored the Minister to
consider the critical
work we do and advocated
for continued spending
during these trying
economic times.
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H1N1 Flu Information . . .
From Interior Health, click HERE.
For child care programs and schools, click HERE.
For pregnant women, click HERE
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"The Brains of
Babes" as heard
on the CBC Radio
One "Ideas"
program.
New research
into brain
development,
human biology
and behaviour is
showing how
early experience
can affect our
health and
will-being for
the rest of our
lives. For
more information
and to hear the
program, click
HERE.
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Playground funding
opportunity from "Let
Them Be Kids" For more information, click
HERE.
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Why invest in early childhood development?
Click HERE to find out.
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Family Support Group
For parents with a child under the age of 6 with a disability. Join other parents for support, information and dinner the first and third Wednesdays of each month. For more info, click
HERE.
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Drawing Linked to Literacy Development
Does drawing promote a child's mental development and health?
The Drawing Network is a conglomerate of parents, teachers, academics and administrators who strongly believe in the benefits of untethered drawing. The Network writes and distributes pamphlets on the drawing-as-language theme free of charge.
According to the Drawing Network, drawing is a personal language based on perceptions, thoughts and feelings that is crucial to a child's mental development and health, as well as their literacy development. They state that "emergent drawing begins with scribbling and evolves
into full-scale representational symbolism. In the early stages, it demonstrates something equivalent to 'vocabulary' and later, through an astonishing ability to create formal relationships in story-telling pictures, something equivalent to syntax."
The Network believes that the spontaneous and uncoded nature of drawing allows for children as young as two years old to tell stories, express empathy, and enjoy learning. Furthermore, they believe that integrating drawing into a child's everyday life helps decrease anti-social behavior because it integrates a child's intellectual and emotional life.
For more information, contact Bob Steele at drawnet@telus.net.
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Ideas for health snacks and lunch box additions
for toddlers and preschoolers. Read more below:
i) Toddlers
ii) Preschool & Older
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Communities for Kids awards $12,750 of Success by 6® funding to community ECD projects.
The Communities for Kids (CFK) Steering Committee is pleased to announce it has awarded nearly $12,750 of Success by 6® funding in its latest call for project proposals. This project funding will promote and support the healthy development of children up to 6 years of age in the South Okanagan-Similkameen.
The Penticton and District Community Resources Society, in partnership with the Aboriginal Peoples Family Accord, was awarded $7,700 for the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder / Early Childhood Development Curriculum project. The project consists of workshops to be delivered in Penticton, Princeton and Oliver/Osoyoos. The Interior Region FASD Coordinator Linnette Farmer, says the project’s purpose is “…to increase the understanding of FASD for parents, professional and paraprofessional social service providers, and educators who work with children between birth and age six, and their families.” Watch the CFK website for news of the dates and locations of these workshops.
The Princeton CFK Community Table was awarded nearly $2,900 to operate a Cooking Wisely program at the Princeton Family Resource Center. CFK previously awarded CFK Princeton $20,000 to help pay for the operation of the Family Center, and is pleased to support other programs being offered in the facility that enhance early childhood development. The four week long Cooking Wisely community kitchen project is expected to be offered this Fall and again early in 2009. Watch the CFK website for news of the dates and times the program will be delivered.
The Keremeos CFK Community Table was awarded over $1,100 to purchase a permanent awning to be affixed to the Family Center in Keremeos. The Center needs the awning to provide children and families with protection from the sizzling summer sun and insect pests. Kelly Moog, the CFK Keremeos community facilitator stated; “With the purchase of a large sturdy, durable, all season awning with side screening, families will have the opportunity to bring their children to the Family Center to participate in organized activities over the summer. The programs the family center offered this summer were Tumble Bumble and Laugh & Learn, a parent-child interactive group.” CFK Keremeos was previously awarded $20,000 to build a new playground in Pine Park. That project was completed earlier this year.
The Okanagan Boys & Girls Clubs – Penticton, in partnership with Interior Health Prevention Services, was awarded over $1,000 to purchase equipment for their CAP-C (Canadian Action Program for Children) Family Outreach program. According to Lori Gillard of the Boys & Girls Clubs “…Family Outreach offers broad ranging support and assistance to families with children pre-conception to 6 years of age, with an emphasis on healthy child development. Nobody’s Perfect Parenting program is one of the programs offered under the Family Outreach umbrella. This is a nation wide program offering parenting support & education for families with children up to 5 years of age. Nobody’s Perfect provides nutritious lunches during the program for all participants and makes use of all the Family Outreach facilities and play areas.” The funding will be used to purchase dining/craft tables and a play kitchen.
Communities for Kids anticipates it will issue another call for proposals early in 2009. Community groups, CFK Community Tables, and First Nations communities are all eligible to apply. Watch the CFK news spot on our website for that announcement.
Communities for Kids 2008, Art Event & T-shirt
Give-away
To help raise awareness of the importance of the early years, CFK held an art event and T-shirt draw in the summer of 2008. Children up to 6 years of age from communities across our region submitted artwork and were all given colorful CFK T-shirts. Local branches of the Okanagan Regional Library advertised the event and collected the children’s artwork. The libraries were also kind enough to distribute T-shirts to children that attended summer library events. Over 500 T-shirts were distributed to aboriginal and non-aboriginal children across the region. See the Penticton, Princeton, Oliver and Keremeos pages on this website for pictures of children sporting their new T-shirts!
Payton and Cadon from Penticton in their new T-shirts!
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How to help your
preschooler be ready for Kindergarten
Understanding the Early Years Halifax has released a brochure called, “On My Way to School,” created with the input of Halifax-based child development specialists. This resource gives parents ideas on building healthy development in 3 to 5 year-old children so that they will be ready for Kindergarten when that time arrives. View HERE.
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Tips for
Your baby's language development.. Read more HERE.
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Early Learning Centres, sometimes called StrongStart Centres, are free drop-in places for preschool children and their parents or caregivers to come and play, learn and have fun. For more information, click below.
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Child and Youth Mental Health Guide includes resources and information supporting optimal mental health. Download
HERE!
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Professional
eye examinations in the early years prevents future problems. READ MORE
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Healthy Development Toy List for Preschoolers
Understanding the Early Years Halifax has released a “Healthy Development Toy List for Preschoolers,” created with the input of Halifax-based child development specialists, to give parents gift ideas that will delight children while contributing to their healthy early development. View HERE.
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Early Childhood Educator Grant Program
The Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) is offering grants to address the shortage of Early Childhood Educators (ECE) in the province. The grant is intended to give ECEs who have not worked in a licensed child care facility for at least two years with an incentive to attract them to employment in a licensed child care facility. A maximum of 100 full time applicants will be approved to receive this grant. For more information go to:
http://www.gov.bc.ca/mcf/childcare/ece_incentive/index.htm or call 1-888-338-6622.
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Community Library and Recreation Programs
Choose from the following communities to find out about programs for preschoolers:
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