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Early Years Centre coming for valley
Families in 14 communities, including Cranbrook and Invermere, will soon benefit from new BC Early Years Centres, which provide one-stop early learning, health and family services to B.C. families with young children.
Two of the 14 centres are opening in the East Kootenay. Along with one at Cranbrook’s Community Connections Society of Southeast B.C., there will be one at the Family Resource Centre in Invermere.
These centres allow parents with children up to age six to connect with a number of services tailored to meet the needs of the local community, including: Parent and child drop-in playgroup programs; StrongStart BC programs; Public health clinics; Advice and referrals from early-years professionals; Parent education workshops; Licensed childcare for families; Childcare resources and referral information; A mobile bus to provide outreach to families in rural communities.
“These new centres will bring the total to 26 BC Early Years Centres throughout the province, giving B.C. families convenient access to services and supports that will help their children learn, grow and thrive. We will continue building on the success of these centres by further expanding the network – as budget allows – in order to reach more families throughout the province,” stated Stephanie Cadieux, Minister of Children and Family Development.
The sites were chosen by a cross-ministry selection panel that included representatives from the ministries of Children and Family Development, Education and Health, and are located in a diverse mix of urban, rural and Aboriginal communities.
Each centre will receive $52,000 from the Provincial Office for the Early Years for this fiscal year as part of a $5.5-million investment over three years. The 14 new BC Early Years Centres are in addition to the centres that opened at 12 test sites in fall 2012.
The network of BC Early Years Centres is a commitment under the B.C. Early Years Strategy, which aims to improve the accessibility, affordability and quality of early-years programs and services for families with young children.
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