It was supposed to be a one-year pilot project, but Foothills families will continue to benefit from a unique program thanks to the Parent Link Centre in High River.
The I am Three program, which was a government-funded initiative of the Foothills Children’s Wellness Network in 2015, was a larger-scale version of childhood development assessment programs previously run by the Parent Link Centre (PLC).
“The PLC has been running these events for nine years on smaller scales,” said Michelle Kessel, co-supervisor at the centre. “Last year the Foothills Children’s Network identified a need for more events and we collaborated with them.”
Government grants allowed the I am Three events to be extended to more communities including High River, Okotoks, Turner Valley and Black Diamond. The success of the expanded program brought in a number of additional families, but the government funding was cut for 2016.
The PLC decided to continue offering I am Three in its expanded form after seeing the success of the program in 2015.
“It helps parents learn about development and identify any concerns,” said Kessel. “It’s so important families know how to access resources and make connections.”
The I am Three events are based entirely on fun, she said, with children and their parents visiting each station over a two-hour period and doing a variety of activities geared toward specific developmental capabilities, like gross motor skills or problem-solving.
Assessing children at age three allows parents to identify any potential concerns, she said.
“There’s a gap between when kids are identified and assessed,” said Kessel. “They might get their needles at 18 months old and then they may not be seen by a health care professional again until they’re four years old.”
Having an idea of a child’s development allows parents to find the necessary resources, such as speech therapy or physiotherapy, she said.
Debbie-Layne MacLeod, community development co-ordinator for the Foothills Children’s Wellness Network, said they are pleased to see the I am Three program continue.
“It’s great that one of our members saw the success and has now committed to continuing on with I am Three events,” said MacLeod.
She said in 2015 parents reported learning more about early childhood development and how to engage in activities to help gauge and promote their children’s development. Parents assess their own children at each station, she said, with professionals on-hand to review the progress at the end of the event and provide parents with tips and suggestions.
“It’s important parents know what’s available in the community to support their role as primary caregivers,” said MacLeod. “They can get information on normal growth for their child and an idea of different things to do to help development.”
Being able to catch any concerns at an early age is beneficial for the children, she said, because parents and specialists in the community can potentially work with the child to resolve issues before they begin school two years later.
I am Three events also provide parents with an arsenal of information so they can connect with caregivers and specialists if they identify concerns, she said. At the end of each session, children are given a goodie bag filled with activities and toys like building blocks to help them continue the fun at home.
Sessions are free for families, but pre-registration is required.
The next Okotoks session will be April 20 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Okotoks Recreation Centre. Pre-registration can be done at 403-938-8954 using the course code 49149. In Black Diamond, the next session is May 20 from 10 a.m. to noon at C. Ian McLaren School. Parents can register by emailing [email protected] or calling 403-995-2702.
