A new community service to support Revelstoke families with young children hosted its first event on October 18.
More than 100 families attended the bi-annual clothing and toy exchange, hosted by the Revelstoke Early Years Centre. Families were able to exchange outgrown items for new items at no cost. In addition, the Early Years Centre hosted an early years fair and open house, showcasing programs and services for families with young children. The open house featured StrongStart and Leap Land Saturday openings, as well as an Ages and Stages Clinic.
The Revelstoke Early Years Centre will build on existing services, and will link early years programs and services with the goal to work as one team supporting young children and families.
The centre, located at 1001 Mackenzie, as well as satellite locations, will focus on increasing accessibility for families, increased awareness of family supports and more opportunities for drop-in services on evenings and weekends.
Early years service providers will focus on engaging families to learn more about what families need, and how they can best respond.
Next, the Revelstoke Early Years Centre will host a series of parent workshops, Nov. 6 to 8. In addition, EYC grand opening event will take place at 1001 Mackenzie on National Child Day, Nov. 20.
This new centre is the first step,as part of the B.C. Early Years Strategy, to implement a network of Early Years Centres throughout the province that will provide families with one-stop, convenient access to a range of services and supports, information and referrals.
The strategy is an eight-year government commitment to improve the accessibility, affordability and quality of early-years programs and services for families with young children.
The Revelstoke Early Years Centre is one of 12 new centres across the province. The sites are in a diverse mix of urban, rural and aboriginal communities, and will build on existing local community resources to enhance services for families. 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.
For more information on the Revelstoke Early Years Centre, contact Tracy Spannier at 250-837-6669, or email revelstokeecd@gmail.com.