Program goals
- To support new immigrant families to thrive and grow in their role as new parents within Canadian society and child rearing culture
- To ensure that immigrant children have the same opportunities to succeed in nursery and school as non-immigrant children
- To support the development of partnerships and culturally meaningful connections within the community
- To support new immigrant families and the community at large in their process of adaptation and integration
Program components
Child focused:
Circle time with developmentally appropriate activities for children 18 months - 3 years.
Parent (Caregiver) focused:
- Self-care exercise.
- Round table discussion: check-in, concerns, identifying other urgent issues.
- Topic of the week and discussion.
- Guest Speaker: Resource/services in town.
- Childminder introduces the activity that was done with children so parents could replicate at home.
Partners in Community
- Public Library- Reading group for kids.
- Public Health- Public Health Nurse and Healthy Baby.
- Food bank- services and meal bags for participants after every session.
Program Topics:
- Understanding the process being an immigrant and the implication it has on parenting.
- Child development (social, physical, emotional, behavioral) and well-being.
- Relationship between parent and child.
- Brain development.
- Language and communication development and strategies.
- Mental health protective factors.
- Play based parent-child relationship approaches.
- Safety issues 0-3 years.
- Screen time and devices.
- Strategies to discipline.
Sessions every Friday
- Weekly sessions for 12 weeks between January – March. Next group will start soon.
- Location: Neepawa and Area Immigrant Settlement Services
- Time: 10 am – 12 pm
Contact: Alexandra Lozada or Pat Martin
eyp@neepawasettlement.ca
