Jenny Mckay knows how vital the KidsFirst program can be for families. In the early 2000s, she moved to Yorkton with her family to partake in the then-new program. 15 years later, she鈥檚 the community outreach education worker for KidsFirst Yorkton.
鈥淸The program] empowers families,鈥� she said.
Mckay and her co-workers are thrilled with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education鈥檚 recent announcement that the province-wide KidsFirst program will receive over $15 million for 2018-19.
KidsFirst focuses on families with children in the range of prenatal to age three. The program offers support for parents, including youth education, general parenting knowledge, and community connections. The program centers on families in vulnerable circumstances, but Linda Spracklin-Cross, manager of Integrated Primary Health Services with Saskatchewan Health Authority, said KidsFirst is there for anyone.
鈥淰ulnerable is so subjective,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really [for] any family that would benefit from parenting curriculum.鈥�
鈥淭he program is for anybody who needs the extra help,鈥� said Ruth Love, a KidsFirst community support worker.
KidsFirst Yorkton plans to use the incoming funds for education programs and for outreach with new Canadians and Aboriginal groups.
鈥淧art of the renewal strategy..for this year [is] really reaching out to all the cultures,鈥� Spracklin-Cross said.
KidsFirst runs programs in Yorkton, Meadow Lake, the Battlefords, Nipawin, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Regina, and Saskatoon, along with their surrounding rural communities. KidsFirst also serves 12 communities in northern Saskatchewan.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 a program in isolation,鈥� Spracklin-Cross said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about building connections.鈥�
