Blog

January at the Family Centre

January 2, Monday:New Year Day Stat The Family Centre will be CLOSED.
January 3, Tuesday: Welcome Back! The Family Centre will be reopen with regular program hours. 
January 12, Thursday: Librarian visit from the Vancouver Public Library during AM Drop-In and PM Baby Drop-In
January 25, Wednesday: The Family Centre will be CLOSED.
January 20 - March 3, Fridays - 7 weeks: 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM Making Sense of Preschoolers Gordon Neufeld provides insight into their shyness, separation anxieties, aggression, resistance, oppositionality and more. Making sense of these confusing yet wondrous creatures lays the foundation for intuitive and rewarding parenting. A current Family Centre membership is required. Cost for the program is $70. For more information, contact Flora.
January 21 - March 18, Saturdays: 10 - 11:30 AM 1-2-3 Jump! Physical Literacy for 2.5 - 3.5 yr olds. Have fun with your child moving and learning in new ways. Registration is required.The program is offered free in partnership with Little Mountain Neighbourhood House. We ask that you have a current Family Centre membership to participate. To register, please contact Flora. 

Parent as Provider
When you sign-in at the family centre, we are now encouraging the adults to take responsibility for putting the piece of fruit they have brought to share on the fruit plate, as well as for putting money in the donation box. We recognize that there are a variety of reasons adults might want to include their children in these steps, however, providing food and monetary support are the adult's job. Also, much of the fruit gets damaged - either from being dropped or squeezed before getting on the plate!


Looking ahead to February...
February 7 - March 24, Tuesdays: 1 - 3 PM ABC Time On these Tuesday afternoons, we close off part of our playroom to run a small kindergarten readiness program. The drop-in is still open, but the play space is smaller! For more information about our ABC program, please speak with Ewa or Maria.

Even in January, Your Membership Counts!
Annual membership runs from May 1st to April 30th, and costs $45 per year. Membership fees are a much needed part of our annual revenue and help fund our Family Drop-In program, parent education, workshops, special events and seasonal celebrations.

Membership is an integral part of community participation and an effective way to contribute to our sustainability. If you purchase or renew your membership in January, that's less than $3 per week!

If you did not have a membership last year, please go directly to our membership page. To renew your membership please go to CanadaHelps.org. When you visit the Family Centre, you can pay using cash, credit card, or cheque. Please speak to one of our Family Support Workers and they will help you.

Family Day Care Providers and Nannies are asked to request parents of the children in their care to purchase an MPFCS membership.

Circles of Care Connection offers a new Community Kitchen program thanks to a grant from Vancouver Coastal Health. Every Friday, refugee families come together to prepare delicious meals  such as soup, salad and lasagna. "It is always fun to cook together and meet other families," one mom said.  

The annual Christmas Party was held on Thursday, December 15 at Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House. Our families enjoyed the entertainment, food and the various activities such as cookie decorating, face painting and arts and crafts. The highlight was the beautiful Winter Wonderland area and the children meeting Santa. Thank you to all our community donations, family potluck items and to the staff and volunteers contributing to this festive event.

During the holidays, the CIBC team always remembers our CCC families. This year, they prepared lovely toques, scarves and gloves for the refugee children. In the picture above, Ivan from CIBC is giving a box full of these knitted items.

Kelty Millar and her friends from St. Anthony's School in West Vancouver brought the Christmas spirit to our program on Friday. They collected and wrapped 50 stuffed toys for our refugee children. In addition, Kelty’s mom Joanne and her company Pacific Destination Services made a donation to our Early Years Refugee Program. Heartfelt thanks to Kelty, Joanne, and Pacific Destination Services team!