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Kootenay Kids Society celebrates Child Care Month with online events

Nelson Star - 5/22/2021

Submitted by Kootenay Kids

To mark Child Care Month, Kootenay Kids Society is hosting two online events for the Nelson area community. The first is an event for families, child care providers, and early years educators to share their stories of how high-quality child care has shaped their lives.

West Kootenay Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR), a program of Kootenay Kids Society, is inviting families to write their experiences on cards that begin with "Because of quality child care…" and then take a photo or a video of them or their children holding up the sign. If the photo is posted to Facebook and tags the West Kootenay CCRR Facebook page, you will be entered into a draw to win a CCRR craft supply bag.

Child care providers and early years educators are invited to share a story that begins with "I am a child care provider. I am important because…" or "I am an Early Childhood Educator. I am important because…" and they are also eligible to win prizes if they share their photo on Facebook and tag the West Kootenay CCRR Facebook page. The prizes for this category are a $50 gift certificate to a local book store, a yearly subscription to the Play Outdoors Magazine, or a box from Raven Reads, which contains Indigenous literature and artisan gifts. The posting deadline for both groups is May 31.

The second online event is a virtual garden party with 25 educators on May 27, also hosted by West Kootenay CCRR. It is being held to appreciate our child care providers and early childhood educators for the vital role they play in the well-being of our communities. The event comes after the success of the Charlotte Diamond Virtual concert with Boundary CCRR and Trail and Castlegar CCRR on May 11, with 84 child care centres and school classrooms participating.

"Quality child care is an essential service in every communities," said Helen Lutz, executive director for Kootenay Kids Society.

"Whether families are participating in the work force, attending school, or contributing in other ways to the well-being of our communities, child care providers and early childhood educators deliver high quality care and education to children. Everybody knows someone who relies on child care."

Kootenay Kids Society is a multi-service non-profit with a 40-year history of supporting families and young children in the Nelson area. For more information about Kootenay Kids Society, to learn more about volunteering opportunities, or to make a donation, visit www.kootenaykids.ca, or email Helen at HelenL@kootenaykids.ca.