TISDALE — A new Early Years Family Resource Centre (FRC) has been announced for Tisdale.
On March 17, the Government of Saskatchewan announced six new Early learning centres in Saskatchewan. Other locations were in Île-à-la-Crosse, Kindersley, Regina, Saskatoon, Tisdale and Warman/Martensville.
The centres are welcoming spaces where families can build their knowledge and increase their understanding of their child’s development. It will be a place where all families with children up to age six and their caregivers can access a range of trusted early childhood programs, reliable information and support and referrals in one location, free of charge.
The North East School Division will operate the facility.
"We are pleased to announce further support for families of Saskatchewan through these six new Early Years Family Resource Centres," Education Minister Dustin Duncan said. "These centres offer resources, referrals and programming to hundreds of families across Saskatchewan, all free of charge and on a walk-in basis."
The centres offer opportunities for families to drop-in or participate in scheduled group programs that build parenting, language, and early literacy skills. They will also help families find out about and connect to other services in the community. A Tisdale Early Years Partnership Committee, consisting of multiple agencies and community representatives, have been meeting regularly for over a year to plan and create play and learning opportunities for children and families.
The NESD and Tisdale Early Years Partnership Committee are targeting to open the Family Resource Centre and begin operation of the programming in fall 2023. Funding is being provided through the Canada-Saskatchewan Bilateral Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. The total allocation is approximately $1.3 million in startup funding with $215,000 going to each centre.
“By working together, the Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan are bringing more support to families across the province,” Canada’s Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould said. “These centres are an invaluable resource for families in the region, particularly those who choose to educate their preschool-aged children in the home.” Information about these centres can be found on the Government of Saskatchewan website.
Once these six new Early Years Family Resource Centres are developed, Saskatchewan will have a total of 21 centres in 19 communities. Development of these centres will begin shortly, and programing will begin in Fall 2023.
The communities were selected following analysis based on a combination of population, vulnerability and community readiness required to successfully develop and operate a centre.
