The University of British Columbia (UBC) hosts the UBC Learning Circle, a partnership between the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health and the First Nations Health Authority, an ongoing videoconference and computer webinar initiative that encourages sharing knowledge about our health and well-being. The intention of the Learning Circle is to provide educational and informational opportunities to health care workers and professionals in First Nations communities.
Read MoreThe National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH) offers access to a webinar, Making Steps towards the Provision of Culturally Safe Children’s Rehabilitation Services with Indigenous Communities, Families and Children, based on Dr. Alison Gerlach’s research work and publications. Her work focuses on the development of inclusive and responsive knowledges and early childhood and family policies and practices that address social justice and equity issues for families and children who live with various structural forms of social disadvantage.
Read MoreWe spoke with Nicole Purvis, the CAPC Coordinator for Nelson, who has introduced a new feature, “Storytellers”, to her drop-in program on Wednesdays. She invites a member of the local community to come in to the program and take the story time, as an added focus to the regular drop-in program.
Read MoreThe new Canada Food Guide released in January 2019 uses a plate image, half filled with fruit and vegetables, one quarter with protein foods, and one quarter with whole-grain foods, alongside a glass of water, with the recommendation to “make water your drink of choice”. The guide stresses that “healthy eating is more than the foods you eat”, recommending mindful eating, cooking from scratch, taking time to enjoy food and eat in company with others, limiting sodium, sugars and saturated fat, using food information labels on packaged food, and being aware of food marketing.
Read MoreGardening with young children can be a joyful experience for child and adult to share. Let go of adult notions of “gardening success”; for children, it is the process that is important, joining in the work, looking touching, smelling, engaging directly with soil and plants. Click here for a variety of ways to engage infants and toddlers in gardening experiences.
Read MoreThe BC Government put forward a budget in February with significant impacts for families, and on March 18 released a poverty reduction plan, TogetherBC, which brings together a number of policy changes the provincial government have made since 2017 that are hoped will reduce overall poverty in the province by one-quarter and cut child poverty in half in the next five years.
Read MoreThe Best Start: Healthy Baby Healthy Brain website offers a group of three short videos showing interactive play between parents and their babies and toddlers: Everyday Play, Play using all the Senses, and Language, numbers and play. The ideas incorporated in the videos demonstrate the type of play of which new parent-baby interaction brain-echoing research is confirming the value.
Read MoreBounce Back® is a free online and one-to-one coaching program for teens and adults with mild to moderate depression, ages 15 and up. With coaching available in English, French, Cantonese, Mandarin and Punjabi, this accessible new program has been developed by the Canadian Mental Health Association: BC Division in partnership with the BC Provincial Health Services Authority.
Read MoreFurther exploring research that has shown that children born to adolescent mothers generally perform more poorly on school readiness assessments than their peers born to adult mothers, a broad-based study published in February of this year explores links between lower school readiness for the children and grandchildren of women who gave birth in their teens, demonstrating multi-generational effects.
Read MoreWorking with the Frameworks Intitute to find phrasing that is accessible and meaningful to a general audience, Alberta Family Wellness (AFW) has produced a set of attractive and concise Learning Cards outlining in positive language how early experiences build brains. Each card is centred on one of the selected descriptive terms: Brain Architecture, Toxic Stress, Air Traffic Control, Serve & Return, and Resilience.
Read MoreWe spoke with Niki Sinhart, CAPC Site Coordinator for Cranbrook, BC, and Jenn Betts, Cranbrook and Kimberley CPNP Bellies to Babies Pregnancy and Family Resource Program Outreach Worker, who are running the Mothercraft Building Connections program in their community.
Read MoreThe Canadian Paediatric Society has issued a new position statement on timing of introduction of allergenic solids for infants at high risk, based on research findings that have led to a significant revision of previous advice.
Read MoreThe SMART Guide is a training manual for service providers who are working with pregnant women who use alcohol. Using motivational interviewing and stage of change theory, this book provides guidance on how to talk to women about their alcohol use.
Read MoreIn this video of a keynote address given at a Family Services conference in Red Deer, author and speaker Kim Barthel speaks on the importance of relationship in infant neural development and in maintaining and regulating self-management throughout life.
Read MoreA January 30, 2019 blog by Julien Vincelot for the Bernard van Leer Foundation’s Early Childhood Matters looks at “The Effects of Transportation on Early Childhood Development”. A global conference held last September in Los Angeles, Urban 95, addressed the question, “If you could experience the city from 95 cm – the height of a three year old – what would you change?”
Read MoreThis year’s ECEBC conference, celebrating their 50th Anniversary as an organization, will be a national conference in partnership with the Canadian Child Care Federation. The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Vancouver from April 10-13, with pre-conference professional development events from April 8-11. Keynote speakers will be Tove Mogstad Slinde, current Chair of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Network on Early Childhood Development, and Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, and Professor in the School of Social Work at McGill University. The conference will incorporate a formal 50th Anniversary Golden Jubilee Soiree.
Read MoreThe BC provincial government has announced an investment of $105 million over three years to reduce the amount families and seniors pay for prescription drugs.
Read MoreThe month of February is known for expressions of caring, centred on Valentine’s day. It offers an opportunity to help children learn how to extend feelings of love and compassions to all those around us, near and far, by using a range of colours to express compassionate behaviour.
Read MoreThe Kelty Centre has developed a list of recommended resources for those wishing to learn more about supporting the mental health of newcomer children and youth. For more information, click here.
Read MoreA new posting on the DadCentral.ca addresses the particular challenges facing Aboriginal dads within the historical trauma experienced in their communities. It discusses how accepting the challenges of parenting can assist in building self-esteem and a sense of personal pride through the experiential learning of the parenting process.
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