Community Connect
Welcome to the fifth edition of Family and Community Services' e-newsletter.
ISSUE 5 • DECEMBER 2008
E-news from Family and Community Services
First Sod Turned for Shirley Early Years Hub
The Early Years Service Hub in Shirley is moving and they had their "first sod turning" celebration on Monday 15 December. The foundations of the actual Hub building will be laid in January 2009 and the builders have promised that the doors will be open by the end of that month!
The Hub building will be situated next to the Barnardos Child Care Centre in Briggs Road with a small hallway joining the two buildings.
The goal of Early Years Service Hubs is to work with services to ensure that vulnerable families with children pre-birth to six years old have better access to the support and help they need through improved co-ordination and integration of services.
The Hub has made great progress in 2008. Co-ordinator Felicite Jardine started work in mid-July and has since been joined by two community development workers, as well as an administrator.
"Ngaire Hira will be the Māori liaison, while Meta Cook will be the main contact for Pacific families," said Felicite. "Meta and Ngaire will ensure that there is effective engagement between the Hub and Shirley families."
Activities undertaken this year have included:
- 'Ready to Roll' – a course which delivers parenting education to parents of young children.
- 'CATINC' – a community based nutrition and cooking course for parents who want to know more about healthy eating and nutrition for their families. The participants of this course are now going on to complete the 'Open University' nutrition course and hope to be able to tutor nutrition and cooking courses in 2009.
- a health promotion calendar for Shirley families. The calendar showcases one aspect of child well being per month for 2009 and will be used as the year planner for monthly health promotion themes with activities at the Hub and other venues in Shirley. The calendar will be given to families with children in the 0-6 year age group.
As for future events, Felicite will be co-ordinating a Supporting Families and Whānau in Shirley programme in February 2009. "This programme is designed to contribute to improved health and well- being outcomes for young children and their families/whānau," she said.
The programme will facilitate various seminars, including those on music for children, exercise and nutrition for families, how to get children ready for bed or ready for school, parenting education courses and cooking sessions.
