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Seven-month-old Ayla Sooley, left, Russell MacKay, 11 months, and Leah Stephenson, 10 months, join in on snack time at the Yellowknife Family Centre. - Candace Thomson/NNSL photo |
Hidden gem of Yellowknife Family Centre co-ordinator says centre is the perfect place for parents to meet other parents
Candace Thomson
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, September 25, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
In the busy day-to-day life of balancing work and caring for young children, parents may crave the simple joys of talking to another adult.
Tucked away above the Youth SideDoor Youth Centre on 50 Street is a solution - the Yellowknife Family Centre, now in its 19th year.
Parents can bring their children, from birth to the age of six, to the centre for free play time. For children, the centre provides a plethora of toys, healthy snacks and engaging story time. For the parents, who are required to stay with their children at the centre, it provides a chance to meet other grownups and take advantage of the parent resource library.
"Sometimes, parents just need to get out of the house," said Kerri Nolting, co-ordinator and half of the center's two-person staff. "When they come here, the kids are distracted, they have things to do and parents can relax for a minute and talk to other parents."
Both Nolting and her colleague, Mary Rivers, are trained in early childhood development through the Department of Education, Culture, and Employment. Nolting has been at the centre on and off for eight years and is in her second year as co-ordinator.
The goal of the center is to promote emotional, physical, social and cognitive development of children while strengthening and supporting families of all backgrounds. For parents, it's the chance to form a support group with others in the community.
"We don't have family here in town and Mary and Kerri have become teachers over the years. It's good for them to have other adults that they know," said Heather Scott, one of the mothers attending
the centre on Wednesday.
Scott, a mother of two, has been coming to the centre with her young family for three years after hearing about it from other parents.
"They do a great job with programming," Scott said. "It's the perfect balance of structure and free play with lots of activities for the kids, and it's a great place for us to meet up with our friends."
There are drop-in times early in the morning and again in the early afternoon, and parents can show up whenever they want - they're not obligated to attend certain days or a set amount of time throughout the week. The centre used to have a waiting list after 100 parents had registered, but got rid of the list a year ago and now accept endless registrations.
"We were hearing from people that they weren't even signing up because they heard our wait list was so long and we still actually hear it today," said Rivers. "We're trying to spread the word - there's no waiting list. We'll let you in."
Scott said she often plans visits with other parents a few times a week when her schedule allows. Scott works part-time with the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board and her husband works with the GNWT.
The centre is funded through Health Canada, the Canadian Action Plan for Children and also sponsored by Yellowknife Catholic Schools. The funds, totalling $278,000 annually, from these agencies cover the salaries of the two employees, building costs and money for buying new toys and equipment.
Along with the daily routine of free play, snacks and stories, the centre also offers extra opportunities for families to bond such as family fun nights Thursdays at the Fieldhouse where they can take advantage of equipment. There are also three parenting workshops per year.
They also lend toys, books and equipment such as baby swings for as long as needed by the parents.
"We use the toy and book-lending libraries because you don't accumulate tons of toys at home," Scott said. "You can come here and cycle through toys, borrowing them and bringing them back."
Scott said she would recommend parents try out the centre.
"It made it really easy to entertain my toddler and care for my baby at the same time. I really don't have any negative things to say about this place."
The centre was located in Weledeh Catholic School under the name of The Toy Library and Play Centre before moving to its present location 10 years ago.
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