Starting the 2017-18 school year, Stephanie Lockhart and Chlorisa Erickson will be job sharing the role as Early Years Community Developer with Regional KidsFirst and the Good Spirit School Division.
Lockhart has been in the role for the past five years and was joined by Erickson in August. Lockhart has a background in psychology and health studies, while Erickson’s background has a focus in early learning and child care.
Regional KidsFirst partners with communities throughout the Good Spirit School Division, Christ the Teacher Catholic School Division and the Sunrise Health Region to offer a variety of programs that aim to bring parents and their children together, said information from Erickson. For the upcoming year the focus will be on healthy beginnings and strong families incorporating early learning and literacy into all aspects of programming.
Regional KidsFirst Goals include positive parent-child interactions, parents know best and can make the biggest difference in their child’s life; child development and wellbeing, “we want all children to be healthy and well; healthy pregnancy and births, “let’s give the children the best start in life; awareness of early childhood development, children’s early experiences shape their entire world for the rest of their lives.
“We will be kicking off the fall season with: fetal alcohol syndrome disorder (FASD) awareness, and partnering with restaurants throughout the area to provide information, awareness and ‘mocktails’ for expectant parents,” the information said. “There is no safe time, amount or kind of alcohol during pregnancy.
“Keep a look out in your community for upcoming events and programs,” it said. Ongoing programs include: IMPACT – Intriguing Minds, Parents and Children Together, Main Street Mobile, Kids in Safe Seats and Share it Forward.
