Community Programs for Families with Young Children

Early Years Family Resource Centres provide a single location where families with young children can access reliable information, programs and services to support their children's development and family wellness.

Benefits

Some of the specific information and resources provided by Early Years Family Resource Centres include:

• Early learning opportunities for your child through play-based activity, family groups, art, music, movement or other preschool programming.
• Parent education through formal and informal learning opportunities, drop-in programs and seminars.
• Family wellness and support initiatives to assist your family to identify and build skills that support child development and overall family health and wellness.
• Information and referrals to link your family to the best possible service to enable you to support your child's development and links to other places in your community that may be able to help meet your family's needs.

Eligibility

Anyone with children under the age of six years may access an Early Years Family Resource Centre.

Locations

The Early Childhood Intervention Program (ECIP) provides home-based specialized services and support to families with children who are experiencing developmental delay or disability or are at risk of experiencing development delays. Examples of these services include:

• child assessment;
• developmental strategies;
• information;
• case coordination;
• transition support; and
• referrals.

Benefits

This program helps to improve your child's development by measuring your child's abilities and providing appropriate activities you can do at home. As a parent, the program will help you understand the delay or disability and the impact on your family. As a parent or caregiver, the program provides connection to other services to support the parent as the child transitions into school or a centre-based programming.

Eligibility

Children experiencing developmental delays or disabilities and children who may be at risk of experiencing developmental delays are eligible for ECIP services.

These delays may be:

• cognitive, such as challenges problem-solving or reasoning;
• physical, such as challenges walking or using utensils;
• social, such as challenges interacting with others;
• emotional, such as challenges coping with negative emotions; or
• communicative, such as challenges talking or understanding speech.

Children do not require a diagnosis to begin home-visiting services through ECIP. ECIP work is most successful when delays are addressed at an early stage. Participation can begin at birth, or as soon as the family notices a delay in development. Involvement in the program is voluntary. Parents may refer themselves to their local ECIP or be referred by others in the family's care-circle, such as health care professionals or educators, with parental consent.

Contacting ECIPs Near You

ECIP is delivered in 14 regions across Saskatchewan, by 12 community-based organizations and two school divisions.

KidsFirst is a voluntary program that helps families in vulnerable situations to become the best parents they can be and to have the healthiest children possible. The program enhances parenting knowledge, provides support and builds on family strengths.

Benefits

KidsFirst families receive:

• home visits from KidsFirst staff who provide support regarding child development, parenting and connecting to the community;
• mental health and addiction treatment services with programming to address the unique needs of each family;
• connections for families to Prekindergarten, early learning and child care opportunities in order to maximize early childhood development; and
• connections to a range of community supports that will assist eligible parents in dealing with issues that affect them.

Services include:

• prenatal referral and support;
• in-depth family assessment;
• home-visiting services;
• mental health and addiction services;
• early learning opportunities; and
• family support.

Eligibility

Parents and their children (three years of age and under) who live off-reserve who are living in vulnerable circumstances are eligible to be assessed for KidsFirst.

Locations

KidsFirst Regional provides group opportunities, events and tools to families in smaller urban and rural communities across the province where early learning opportunities may be limited. Programming is focused on making early learning opportunities more accessible and growing parent knowledge and skills.

Benefits

• KidsFirst Regional programming includes early childhood development fairs, early learning preschool groups, literacy events like story walks, welcome baby events and information sessions on car seats or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder prevention information.
• The program also offers public awareness material on topics such as managing screen time.

Eligibility

Parents and their children up to age 5 living in small and rural communities.

More information on KidsFirst Regional programming can be found by visiting the following social media pages or contacting the KidsFirst Community Developers.

Locations

211 Saskatchewan provides a listing of thousands of community and social services available across the province. It includes information on programs by community groups, non-profit agencies and government ministries. You can access the services by searching the easy-to-use online database.