The Prairie Children...Prairie Futures Community Coalition, on behalf of the Understanding the Early Years Southeast Saskatchewan Project, launched the 2008 Community Mapping Study of Southeast Saskatchewan at an “Investing in the Early Years” Forum held at McKenna Hall in Weyburn on the 26th and St. Gerard’s Hall in Yorkton the 27th.
The 2008 Community Mapping Study presents data collected to date on programs and services for families and young children, local Census of Canada information, a social-risk index and a resource availability and accessibility score. The visual presentation of charts and maps assists in easily identifying strengths as well as gaps in services and is intended to provide evidence-based information for further community development around services and supports for families and young children. This information was presented by the Project’s Researcher, Dr. Nazeem Muhajarine of Saskatchewan Population Health Evaluation and Research Unit (SPHERU) of the University of Saskatchewan. To observe this presentation click here.
Jim Grieve, Director of Ontario’s Peel County District School Board, Canada’s second largest and one of Canada’s fastest growing public school systems was the keynote speaker. Jim has been involved in the Understanding the Early Years (UEY) Initiative, a national initiative, since 1999. He shared information on the challenges and successes that Peel County District School Board has experienced as a result of the UEY Initiative and what actions the Board has taken in response. Review Jim’s presentation by clicking here.
There is a growing body of evidence and information supporting the importance of a child’s early years of life. This evidence supports the idea that early development is critical to a child’s success in school, as well as his or her future health and well-being. It is The Prairie Children...Prairie Futures Community Coalition’s desire to increase the communities’ knowledge of the importance of the early years, to assist in identifying the needs, and to support the community in developing community action plans to ensure that our children have the best possible start in life.
Community Mobilization
Overview of UEY Initiative
Overview of the UEY Initiative
PCPF Forum - March 26/27, 2009
Dr. Paul Kershaw is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia in the College for Interdisciplinary Studies. His research marries political theory with public policy analysis and he has published about a wide range of contemporary issues, including child care services, parental leave, work-life balance, taxation of caregiving and dependency, male violence against women, and fiscal federalism. The focus on public policy reflects his interest in the determinants of population health and social justice. He focuses especially on the influence that community environments yield over citizens’ early development and their lifecourse trajectories thereafter. Dr. Kershaw shared the following findings during a Leadership Forum in Weyburn and Yorkton Respectively in April 2010. Smart Family Policy for a Strong Saskatchewan Economy
Ruth Barker - Community Coordinator - UEY Project Prairie Children... Prairie Futures ruth.barker@holyfamilyrcssd.ca
Ph: 306.848.4371
C: 306.861-5021 Fax: 306.842.7033
Holy Family RCSSD - 110 Souris Ave. Weyburn, SK S4H 2Z8
The Understanding the Early Years initiative is funded by Human Resources and Social Development Canada. For further information, visit www.hrsdc.gc.ca