The Yorkton Family Resource Center, located at SIGN on Broadway, is about supporting the region's families. The new center recently held its grand opening.
Donna Coleman Trombley, SE RIC Coordinator, says that the center is about promoting early learning, family wellness and positive parenting.
"The center is a place for programming, but it's also a welcoming gathering place for parents and their children, where they can come and interact and play with them, and connect with other parents and families and feel supported," Coleman Trombley says.
She emphasizes that the center is available for everyone, with programming focused around parenting education and early childhood development, as well as ways to connect parents and children with the programming they might need in other agencies. The goal is to be there for all the families in the city, whatever they might need.
"Maybe you're a new mom and dad and it's your first time with a child, it doesn't come with a guide. How do you get that support? We are trying to provide that support in an atmosphere that is welcoming, and there is not just a place for children to play, but for people to interact, and parents to play with their children."
The theme of the opening day was "Champions Start Small," with the Olympics inspiring the opening day festivities.
The day began with a torch relay down Broadway, and kids were invited to get pictures with an Olympic theme.
There was a membership drive as well, and Coleman Trombley says that membership keeps parents in the loop about what resources available and what programming is coming to the center. She says that the goal is to also have members drive programming and have the center respond to local needs.
"You might be an immigrant family moving to Yorkton, what kind of support do you need to connect and be part of our community?"
There are a number of community partners involved in the center, Coleman Trombley says, and they will be a major part of the different programming on offer.
She says families can pick and choose what they want to take advantage of, whether that's the programs on offer, the different professional supports or just coming to enjoy the play area to have fun as a family.
"A parent said this just feels like home, and we really feel like that is what we are trying to capture here, a place where families feel like they are at home, and they can feel supported in building a loving relationship with their children and their families."
She says every family is different, and they intend to celebrate this, as well as try to be responsive to all the different needs a local family might have.
