Vernon Neighbourhood Hub

A $100,000 grant to the First Nations Friendship Centre will support development of a neighbourhood hub in downtown Vernon, Children and Family Development Minister Tom Christensen announced.

"This funding will support renovations at the friendship centre, where
families can have one-stop access to early childhood development and
family support programs," said the Okanagan-Vernon MLA "The hub will
strengthen services that support healthy child development in the local
Aboriginal community and improve access for busy families."

Provincial funding for neighbourhood hubs - centres where child care, early childhood development and family strengthening programs are housed under one roof - is aimed at:

• increasing child care spaces
  
• offering convenience for families by co-locating programs
  
• improving cost effectiveness for service providers
  
• enhancing programs that are tailored to meet the needs of individual
  communities
  
• increased utilization of public buildings whenever possible.

"Hub funding provides local agencies with the means to create important links with other family-serving organizations in the community," said
Minister of State for Child Care Linda Reid.

"This grant will allow us to create a better space where we can support
parents and acknowledge and cherish the unique developmental needs of each child," said Jessie Nyberg, co-ordinator of the friendship centre's Aboriginal Infant and Early Childhood Development Program.

Renovations are underway to join the two existing friendship centre
buildings located on 29th Avenue in downtown Vernon.

Once completed, one side of the expanded facility will be devoted to early childhood development, child minding and prenatal programs.