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Brighter Futures Resource Society - Drayton Valley
Serves:
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Who We Are |
Our Vision: Healthy Families Engaged in Community
Our Mission: Strengthening Family Relationships & Community Connections (Since 1994) The Society believes:
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Our Programs |
Our Programs:
FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES Providing Parents one to one support in their home to develop positive parenting skills and tools to support their child’s early learning, health and development and social competence Providing service delivery pathways for parents and their children to access community resources when developmental delays are suspected Providing Parent Education Workshops that offer information and support to parents in their role as primary caregivers and educators of their children NUTRITIOUS BEGINNINGS PRENATAL PROGRAM This Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program is offered through Drayton Valley Health Unit and Wetaskiwin Health Unit in partnership with Alberta Health Services. The focus of this program is to prenatally support women who are at risk due to age, lifestyle choices, financial barriers and or geographical locations in developing healthy nutritional habits during their pregnancy. The program offers:
- Prenatal classes - Breastfeeding information and support - Parenting groups - Support for counselling on smoking, alcohol, drugs, stress and/or abuse that may be affecting the health of both mom and the unborn baby AFTER SCHOOL ENRICHMENT PROGRAM Brighter Futures works in partnership with Breton FCSS, Wild Rose School Division and Breton Elementary to offer an energized, fun-filled program consisting of team activities, crafts, games and physical activities, at no cost to local families for two six weeks sessions each school year. With a focus on building self-esteem, promoting positive social skills, and making healthy choices, this program is highly valued for the grade one to three students in the Village of Breton. FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION – SECOND STEP The Second Step program is a violence prevention/empathy building curriculum, which is facilitated in the Kindergarten and Preschool classrooms in the Drayton Valley area and surrounding communities. The lessons are divided into three areas: Empathy Training Children learn to:
Children learn to: - Solve problems - Perform social skills (sharing, taking turns) Anger Management Children learn to: - Calm down - Redirect their feelings in more positive ways LUNCH & LEARN To increase parental capacity, the Lunch and Learn program teaches families how to prepare low-cost, nutritious meals for their families. It also provides up to two hours of workshop –discussion on parenting topics and issues. It is offered to families who are experiencing difficulty in offering healthy choices to their family due to rural locations; limited access to food; financial constraints and/or other barriers. Under the guidance of the Family Support Coordinator, parents gather to learn about food safety, meal planning, budgeting, parent support topics and then prepare a delicious, nutritious, low cost meal based on the BASIC SHELF cookbook. This program makes it easier to stretch one’s food budget, while learning important skills, gaining knowledge, and fostering social support networks. The goal is to help develop lifelong skills to manage household needs, learn skills necessary for the health of the family and increase the ability to access support in the local community. Both lunch and childcare are provided. PRESCHOOL DROP-IN PROGRAMS (RURAL) Preschool programming is offered weekly to rural communities to encourage families with limited access to similar services and opportunities to come together and strengthen connections within their community as well as offer their preschool children opportunity to meet new friends, and enjoy facilitated programming. Programs are created around the following pillars: 1) Citizenship & Identity 2) Personal and Social responsibility 3) Physical Skills and Well-being 4) Environment and Community Awareness 5) Nutrition and Healthy Habits 6) Injury Prevention and Safety Awareness Indoor Playground & Preschool Gym These programs are interactive as parents help their children learn through play. Children will be encouraged to “burn off” their extra energy while enjoying parachute games, silly songs, and wonderful toys. Staff will lead interactive songs, nursery rhymes, crafts, and games. Parent Participation is required. (Indoor Playground-Scouts Hall Drayton Valley, Lodgepole, Violet Grove; Preschool Gym- Alder Flats, Breton) SUMMER DAY CAMPS Brighter Futures runs 6-8 FREE Summer Day Camps during the months of July and August. The camps are for children ages three to twelve in rural communities, such as Drayton Valley, Alder Flats and Breton. Camps are focused on social skill development, problem solving, education and exploration of the environment, teamwork and cooperation and safety in the community. Activities include crafts, centers, games, and free play as well as partnerships with community organizations such as Eagle Point Blue Rapids Park for nature walks. Over the last few years, children attending camps decorated birdhouses, dug for dinosaur bones, went on scavenger hunts, made lip gloss and wallets, and even prepared ice cream! PARENT EDUCATION WORKSHOPS/PROGRAMS Brighter Futures’ understands the need for family support and facilitates a range of workshops in group settings or one on one format. Some of the workshop programs include: “Nobody’s Perfect” is a program for parents of children from birth through age five. It is designed to meet the needs of parents who are young, single, or isolated (no family or friends nearby or because they live in a rural area). This workshop provides parents with a safe place to meet others with children of the same age and with whom they share interests and concerns. “The First Five Years, Parents” is a video-based, interactive learning experience. The program teaches parents the fundamental attitudes and skills necessary for parents of young children such as, methods of bonding, the value of the child and the job of parenting, and the basic developmental stages from ages one to four. “Active Parenting Now” is a workshop combined with video, activities, and discussion to help parents raise responsible children who are able to resist negative peer pressure. The program also demonstrates non-violent discipline techniques and effective encouragement skills. It is designed for parents of children ages 5 to 12 “Active Parenting for Stepfamilies” Getting married is the easy part! When a stepfamily is formed, everyone needs to build relationships with new family members. This program teaches how to use powerful communication and negotiations skills to strengthen marriage and family. “Cooperative Parenting and Divorce” Shielding children from conflict-This is a video based psycho-educational program designed to assist divorcing or divorced parents in reducing parental conflict and the risk factors that influence the child’s post-divorce adjustment. The program addresses the relationship between separate households, created as a result of divorce. “Families in Action and Teens in Action” is a video based program to provide training and support for families experiencing the dynamic changes of teen development. This program may be presented to just parents or to the teens. “Kids Have Stress Too!” is a program to help parents, caregivers and educators become more aware of children’s stress, and to help children cope with and develop strategies to deal with stress. “Teaching Parenting the Positive Discipline Way” is an experientially led program that includes activities that reach the heart and gut where real change takes place. “Seeing Red” is an anger management program geared toward elementary age students. “Free the Horses” This action-packed series teaches children to believe in themselves, their talents and their dreams. Each lesson children and parents will watch a scene from a video and participate in activities to reinforce that day’s character trait. RESOURCE LIBRARY Brighter Futures’ library, located at our Drayton Valley office, is available to participants and agencies during regular office hours. Our lending period is three weeks. Resources include information on parenting, sibling rivalry, crafts, parenting after separation, behavior management, and more. PACK N PLAY SENSORY BACKPACKS Brighter Futures offers backpacks filled with age appropriate activities/equipment for parents and children to take home and explore together. These resources are used to supplement our regular programming if participants are not able to make it to group or if being used as Family Support materials. Each pack focuses on a different theme and is filled with ideas and materials for play at home! BABY’S ESSENTIALS Brighter Futures offers help to families who are in immediate crisis or prolonged difficult times who have infants needing diapers and formula. We provide a coupon to purchase formula, diapers and or fruits/vegetables and milk (for the breast-feeding mom) once a month. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Brighter Futures is also dedicated to our community and offers staff, volunteers and assistance when necessary or available. Currently, Brighter Futures
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Contact Information
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Drayton Valley
Brighter Futures Nutritious Beginnings Brighter Futures Family Resource Society Drayton Valley Health Unit 4110-50 Avenue, Drayton Valley, AB T7A 0B3 Angela Doerksen, Coordinator/Facilitator Phone: 780.514.7231 E-mail: nbeginnings@brighter-futures.ca Wetaskiwin and Area Wetaskiwin Health Unit 5610 - 40 Avenue, Wetaskiwin, AB T9A 3E4 Lisa Cottrell, Facilitator Phone: 780.361.4333 E-mail: lisa.cottrell@camrosepcn.com |