From Parent Picks

Parents, what are your picks? Tell us about a New West place, program or person who’s helped your child grow up great! info@kidsnewwest.ca

Unplug and Play

Photo by Erik Dungan. Used via a Creative Commons license.
Photo by Erik Dungan. Used via a Creative Commons license.

This post is a part of a four part series where we’ll hear directly from the parents in the community. Jen Arbo is a mother to a kindergartener and lives near Hume Park. She likes making jam and going camping with her family. 

Last November there was a blog post that made the rounds on social media. It was called “Dear Mom on an iPhone” and was one blogger’s hypothetical conversation with a mother at the park, who was distracted by her phone as her kids asked for attention. I’ve been on both ends of that conversation before, both as the mom on the device and as the judging blogger. I’ve also been (and am!) the mom to a son obsessed with Angry BirdsToca Lab, and Cut the Rope – all decent science-based games I let my son play – who asks constantly to use my iPad, to play Wii games, and to play on my phone in the car.

We are now being taught that electronics and device-based media are not just for entertainment – our adult worlds are becoming increasingly based online, whether it is for work or to access information such as passport applications, online banking, and other important personal business transactions. As a self-employed consultant, I spend a huge number of hours communicating with clients, working on their projects, and conducting the business of running a business – like invoicing – online. My child witnesses me online for hours in a day, so it is no wonder he thinks being in front of a screen is the norm.  The American Academy of Pediatrics have media use guidelines that suggest:

  • zero screen time for children under the age of 2
  • Assessing what your toddler or child asks to watch to ensure it is age appropriate
  • Watching or playing with your child as an opportunity to spark conversation or learn together

So what do I do to balance screens and media with entertainment, learning, and digital literacy? I use the technology my devices offer me to remember to unplug and play. I know that seems silly, but hear me out.

Set timers

I use the timer on my phone to allocate earned time on devices for my son, but also to tell me when it is time to shut down my computer to go play Lego with him. A timer is a non-personal way of learning when it is time to stop something, and so my son tends to not get angry when it goes off. It’s not me telling him to stop, his time is simply up.

Schedule play

I live by my calendar in my phone. I use it to schedule both client meetings and also important family activities, including blocking off time to goof off together, such as playing at the playground, going for a hike together, or just puttering around in the yard.  It seems silly setting an “appointment” for “playground romp” and sending an invite electronically to my husband to join us, but if it is in my schedule, it happens. (And, yes, I schedule date nights the same way too!)

Out of sight, out of mind

Another way we limit the exposure to a constant barrage of media is to use a paid service like Netflix rather than regular TV – it shuts off when the show is done, and there are no commercials. You could also set a digital recorder to record to watch later, when it is a better time to do so. We moved our TV downstairs and it gets watched significantly less now – it’s not staring us in the face every time we walk from one end of the house to the other. By putting your devices away and only pulling them out when it is the special allotted time to use them, you’re less likely to feel their pull. You can accomplish this by buying a media centre with doors, or by leaving your phone in your pocket rather than putting it on the table.  Also: not every room needs a TV, especially a child’s room.

Devices aren’t babysitters

This one is the hardest! I try hard to avoid using the devices just to distract my son so I can get other things done. Rather, the time on a device is earned in increments so that he understands the time watching a show or playing his favourite game is a finite, precious thing and can appreciate the specialness of the time he does get. Rather than blindly watching TV, I encourage him to watch an episode of his favourite show because he enjoys it, and when the increment is up, the device goes off and there are other just-as-fun things to do.

 

 

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New in New West

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Photo by Chris Chidsey, used under a creative commons license

This post is a part of a four part series where we’ll hear directly from the parents in the community. In this post, our guest blogger Erin Jeffery discusses being new in New West. Erin is a recent Quayside resident and the Special Events Manager at River Market.  She has two surly cats, one tall husband and an aspiring superhero son.

Last year, my husband and I made the big leap into home ownership.  After a few months of exploring neighbourhoods, looking at many strange condos and figuring out the best route to our much loved daycare, we ended up in Quayside in New Westminster.

With a new home comes the need to build a new community.  A new group of friends to rely on when times get tough…and when sugar runs out.  The older we get (and by older, I mean over twenty) the harder it is to make new relationships.  We don’t trust, we are afraid of getting hurt and we are hesitant to try new things. Kids are different though.  Kids make friends instantly. Take them to a park and they’re sure to find a new best friend within minutes. So what do you do when you aren’t a pint sized socialite in a new city?

You use your child.

As parents, we are both pretty active so we want that for our son…so once we had unpacked, we hit the New Westminster streets and got busy.  We go to the many incredible playgrounds in New Westminster (Westminster Pier Park is an all weather favourite of ours and Queen’s Park is the ultimate summer time destination) , we’ve motored through Motoring Munchkins and we cannot get enough of storytime at the Library.

We also signed him up classes like swimming, soccer and performing arts.  These classes were great for not only establishing a routine in our lives in our new city, but introducing us to parents with kids the same age as ours.  They are also great things for grandparents to give as gifts and it’s a gift that really keeps on giving.  In particular, the music/movement class at The Stage New Westminster and soccer with the Royal City Youth Soccer Club have formed the basis of not only his, but our social circle.  He is hanging out with kids with similar interests, and we are hanging out with parents who are similarly invested in their children. The kids and parents that we now spend our Saturdays with really make our weekends fantastic and we’re not really sure who looks forward to these events more…the kid or us.  And there are a myriad of activities to choose from in New Westminster at places like Music Box Academy, Hawkes Martial ArtsVancouver Circus School, Salmonbellies Lacrosse and more. We also know that the Kids New West website and Family Place are a great source for finding free or low cost things to do.

What New Westminster lacks in size it makes up for in things to do.  There is always something happening somewhere and we learned pretty quickly that if we wanted to get involved, it was a good idea to get plugged in. Everyone in New Westminster seems to be on Twitter and Facebook and probably has a blog, and if they don’t, they know the ones to read.  Once we figured out which Twitter handle (#newwest, #madeinnewwest) to follow and who to follow on Facebook (Downtown New West BIA River Market, Tourism New West, Tenth to the Fraser to name a few) , we were away to the races.  We’ve met some fantastic people through meet ups at Spud ShackPopLucks and tweet ups at parades, markets and garage sales. You can access the internet for free at the library if you don’t have one at home.

We’ve only been here for a year, but in that short time, New Westminster has quickly become our ‘home’…our community.  A place to raise our son and be a part of for a long, long time.

Intergenerational Parenting

Photo by Ben Earwicker Garrison Photography, Boise, ID www.garrisonphoto.org
Photo by Ben Earwicker
Garrison Photography, Boise, ID
www.garrisonphoto.org

This post, is a part of a four part series, where we’ll hear directly from the parents in the community. Briana Tomkinson is a New West resident who lives with her family in the West End. 

This summer my mother and father-in-law moved into our basement suite. Adding grandparents to our household has enriched our children’s relationships with them, and it can be a big help to have a few extra pairs of hands around! But when grandparents move from being occasional babysitters or friendly visitors to living in the same house full-time, they also begin to take more of an active role in caring for the grandkids – a transition that is not without challenges.

Attitudes towards parenting have changed dramatically since our kids’ grandparents were parents. Parenting philosophies have changed, and safety guidelines can be dramatically different from common practices 30 years ago when car seats were almost unknown, formula-feeding was recommended over breastfeeding, children roamed the streets unsupervised until dinner or injury recalled them home, and babies were laid to rest on their bellies, bundled up in warm quilts.

So it’s no surprise that multigenerational households like mine can stumble into conflict on certain parenting practices, even while we are all acting with the best of intentions. Here are a few tips I’ve learned to smooth the way:

 Invite grandparents to share their stories

My mother-in-law says that when my husband was a baby she special-ordered a car seat for him from England because they were unavailable to purchase in Canada at the time. The older children in the family had never used car seats. My father-in-law tells wonderful stories about growing up in New Westminster in the ’40s and ’50s, when he would ride his bike to the hardware store and spend his allowance money on a large bag of powdered asbestos, with which to make playdough and papier mache masks with his friends. Times have changed a lot and hearing their stories reminds me that the parenting practices I take for granted today are often quite different from what was normal when they were new parents.

 Prep your kids

When Grandpa or Grandma move in, some conflict is natural. When kids are occasional visitors with grandparents, they may be showing their best behaviour and grandparents may put in more of an effort to be fun and easygoing. The day-to-day family relationship presents more opportunities for disagreement and disappointment. Kids being kids, may not display ideal manners all the time, and grandparents’ tempers may grow shorter. You may need to smooth the way, helping kids to understand and accept grandparents’ wishes, and helping grandparents understand how your expectations of your children may differ (and why).

 Don’t sweat the small stuff

In an intergenerational household, you can’t expect each adult to parent in the same way. Dads parent differently than moms, and grandparents will do things their own way too. Grandparents may insist kids show more formal manners at the table than you were used to, or they may be less strict about things like how much television or video game time the kids have. As long as the children are safe, try not to worry about it. Kids are smart enough to adjust to the differences in parenting style, and they can benefit from exposure to different perspectives. As long as you are consistent about setting and enforcing rules when you are supervising them, it will do little harm for grandparents to indulge the kids now and then, and it can be good for kids to learn that other adults expect them to show polite behaviour and demonstrate good manners.

 Do hold your ground on the big stuff

Be clear about the values and rules that are most important in your home. If you are vegan you may need to firmly explain to Grandma that she is not to feed your toddler boiled eggs. If a 7:30pm bedtime is firm in your house, make sure that Grandpa knows not to let the kids sweet-talk him into staying up late. You may also need to educate grandparents on newer safety guidelines, such as always laying babies to sleep on their backs or how to properly install a car seat. It is up to you to communicate which guidelines are “suggestions” in your house and which are rules you expect grandparents to follow. If your parenting style is very different from their habits, you may need to speak up to remind them if they forget, or restate your house rules more assertively. Be prepared to explain why these things are important to you, and ensure that you and your partner are presenting a united front.

Connect with the community

It may help for grandparents to connect with other grandparents who are caring for kids in the community. Playgroups like Family Place and Strong Start where parents and other caregivers can bring their children are enriching and fun for both adults and kids.

Take their advice (with a grain of salt)

Even if it has been a long time since they were parents, grandparents have a lot of wisdom to offer. The biggest help they can offer is perspective: when you are in the trenches as a new parent it can seem like difficult phases may never end. It can help to hear that all babies cry, all toddlers tantrum, all kids break things, teens rebel – and in the end, most turn out just fine.

Remember always that grandparents love you and your children and are looking to do what’s best for the family.

 

 

Top 5 free things to do with your kids in New West this summer

By Linda M. Tobias

1.           Visit a park

New West has some of the best playgrounds in the Lower Mainland, many of which have spray parks or wading pools and Playground Leaders who add to the fun. Queen’s Park even features a petting farm! (Admission is free; donations are welcome.)

While at your local park, grab some friends, or make new ones, and play a game of hide-and-seek, hopscotch or kick-the-can. Your kids (and you!) can roll down the hills, climb a tree or go on an expedition to find squirrels and other creatures. It’s easy to stay active in the summer!

2.           Explore a museum

Many of New Westminster’s museums are kid-friendly and by donation. Travel back in time at Irving House and then visit the museum next door. Go aboard the Samson V, the last floating sternwheeler in North America. Or, stop by the lobby of the New Westminster Police Department (555 Columbia Street) to check out their displays, including the old-time jail and 1958 Harley Davidson motorcycle.  The Fraser River Discovery Centre is also one to consider (though it does list suggested amounts for “admission by donation.”)

3.           Attend a community event

In New West, there’s something going on all summer long! Here are just a few of the highlights:

 4.           Hang out by the water

You can head to the beach at Port Royal, or go for a bike ride along the Quayside boardwalk, which connects two playgrounds (Quayside and Pier Park.) And, don’t forget, New Westminster’s outdoor pools are free on the weekends!

5.           Take advantage of the library

Let’s face it; New West is going to see some rain this summer. And there’s no better place to spend a rainy day than the New Westminster Public Library. There are books aplenty, of course, but you can also rent DVDs, comics and puzzles, and get free access to the Internet. You can also join the Summer Reading Club and keep an eye out for free activities and events thoughout the summer.

For details on these activities and many, many others, check out the popular 2013 Kids New West Summer Activity Guide! Now available through schools, recreations centres, the library and family programs. Don’t miss it!

Nobody Likes A Tattletale

By Linda M. Tobias

kidswhisperdad

As a freelance writer, I work from home. There are times that I get immersed in complex technical work or I’m racing to meet a deadline, and the last thing that I need is to be policing the activities of my kids. I don’t want to be sorting out who gets to use what crayon or how the Legos will be put together. I want the kids to play nicely together and work out their own disagreements. I, therefore, have no patience for tattletales.

But, at the same time, I do want my kids to come to me when there’s a legitimate problem. If one of them decides to give the iPad a bath, stick the cat in the fridge or scale the bookcase to see whether they jump across the room to land on the bed, these are things I need to know about.

So, how do I encourage my kids to watch out for each other and report information that could help them stay safe and out of bigger trouble, while discouraging them from coming to me with every inane conflict they have? What’s the difference between being a tattletale and being a concerned sibling or friend?

Well, it comes down to the reason that my kid has come running to  me. Is he looking to get someone INTO trouble or OUT OF trouble? Having him attempt to get a peer into trouble is frustrating for all concerned. No parent wants their offspring to be “that kid.” But solidarity and independence only go so far. If someone’s in trouble or about to get into trouble, I want to be told before the science experiment leaves a bowling ball lodged in the ceiling. In that case, having one of my boys tell me about the other’s actions is going to save his brother from making a colossal mistake and getting the resulting punishment.

To help my boys learn the difference between being a tattletale and being responsible, I’ve started to ask them questions when one comes to report on the exploits of the other.

“Why are you telling me?”

“Is your brother in trouble?”

“Will your brother get into trouble if I don’t stop him?”

Over time, I hope that their developing critical thinking skills will let them question their motivations and will let them come up with their own solution to the problem.

How do you help your kids not tattletale?

Kids New West is pleased to welcome Linda Tobias, a New West mom, writer, and editor. Read more of Linda Tobias’ writing at: http://innewwestwithkids.com/

 

Clashing Colours Battleworthy?

Clashing Colours: Not Worth The Battle

cartoon3  By Linda M. Tobias

The other day, my son decided to get dressed with no input from me. He picked out some brown and yellow camouflage pants, a blue-and-red striped top, orange shoes and a green jacket. He was proud of the outfit he’d selected and wasn’t interested in the alternate shirt I suggested he put on instead. Getting him to change his clothes was going to mean a fight.

But was it a fight worth having?

When I’m tired and tempers are rising, sometimes everything seems important and every battle justified. When the kids won’t touch the meal that I spent an hour cooking for them, it seems worth the fight to make them try new foods and eat what’s served. When they won’t clean up their rooms, it’s a perfect opportunity to teach them responsibility and pride in their possessions. And when my son wants to leave the house dressed like an assortment of fashion don’ts, it seems worth the battle to save him from ridicule.

The truth is that none of those examples are fights that should be fought. I don’t agree with everything in Barbara Coloroso’s parenting book, “Kids are worth it!” but she’s right on the money when it comes to picking battles. In a nutshell, Coloroso says that a battle shouldn’t be fought unless the child’s action is life threatening, unhealthy or morally threatening. If your kid wants to do skateboard tricks with no helmet on, that’s life threatening; if he or she only wants to drink soda, that’s unhealthy. Actions that are unkind, unfair, hurtful or dishonest are morally threatening. Examples include deliberately excluding a peer from play, hurting an animal, cheating on a test, and so forth. Responding to these kinds of actions is not just appropriate, but necessary for the child’s physical and emotional well being.

None of the criteria fit a boy wearing clashing colours and conflicting patterns. And once I took a deep breath, I realized that if his pride and self-confidence were going to be undone, I’d rather it be by a bullying peer than by me. So I praised him for getting dressed on his own and out the door we went. I got a knowing wink from his teacher as she complimented his outfit, but the ridicule from his peers that I’d feared never came. He had a great day and took an important step towards independence.

What are some of the battles you’ve chosen not to fight? Let me know in the comments!

Kids New West is pleased to welcome Linda Tobias, a New West mom, writer, and editor. Read more of Linda Tobias’ writing at: http://innewwestwithkids.com/

Best Park Equip? Smiles!

What’s the Best Playground Equipment?

“Monkey bars!”, shouts my little orangutan with a wild grin.Her friends compete for top tarzan skills, and at five years old, she can easily tell you the New West parks with the ‘good’ monkey bars.

So it was  no surprise to see monkey bars rank well on a dot survey taken by Hyack Interactive during Summerfest at Grimston Park last weekend.

But give folks a lovely, hot, sunny day, and the winning votes go to the Spray Park and Pool, with special mention to Zip-lines. Both are top notch at Grimston Park.  Other favorite suggestions can be found in many local parks including: basketball hoops, volleyball net, trees, field, spaceships, rainbows, lollipops and smiles!

Some New West playgrounds have recently updated equipment, so if you haven’t explored lately, visit a new-to-you park, and tell us about YOUR favorite playground equipment! info@kidsnewwest.ca

 

Hyack Interactive was at Summerfest this year encouraging parents to lend their voices in the development of family service facilities for west side neighbourhoods. If you’d like to know more, or complete the west side survey:  http://kidsnewwest.ca/westsidesurvey/

 

NWPCR Playground Leader

One Smile at a Time

New Westminster Parks, Culture and Recreation: Building Community, One Smile at a Time

Nancy Saraiva NWPCR Playground Leader

A child skips into Canada Games Pool excited to embark on a new adventure-swimming lessons! She pauses as she approaches an unfamiliar person at the counter. With a bright smile and cheerful voice, the woman behind the counter greets the child with an upbeat “Hello! Are you going swimming today?”

 

Usually cautious with new people, the child warms up quickly to the personal welcome. A friendly instructor greets the family, inviting the girl to blow bubbles in the pool. The mother is invited to watch from nearby and relieved by the easy introduction. How did they win the child over so easily?  The secret must lie in a vault accessible to the staff at New Westminster Parks, Culture and Recreation (NWPCR), because collectively, parents rave at how great the staff is at New Westminster community and recreation centres. 

 

Customer service can pose its challenges and unfortunately, often is the case where it doesn’t even come with a smile, but with NWPCR, a smile is only the beginning. One noticeable aspect is that there isn’t a lot of staff turnover. When a child sees the same faces on a weekly basis, it not only helps make them feel comfortable in the moment, it also has the rippling effect of building their sense of community.

 

Another point to note is that upon observation, the NWPCR staff that work closely with children seem to genuinely enjoy their work.  A child can pick up on the energy someone brings to the table and if it’s visible that the leaders are having fun, most likely the child will too.  Since many of the programs offered are geared towards young children, it’s not unusual to find children a bit apprehensive about leaving their parents to take part in an activity, but it doesn’t take long for kids to warm up to the friendly and fun atmosphere created by the staff. As New Westminster parent Tricia Keith notes, “They are truly gifted with kids and care. My girls have always fallen in love with the park leaders and so have I. From the receptionists to the instructors, New Westminster is gold standard.”

 

Best Playgrounds!

Linda Tobias

Best Playgrounds in New West: What are your favorites?

This Saturday, June 16, the new Westminster Pier Park will open with a celebration from 11 am to 3 pm. There will be lots of fun, family-friendly activities, food and live music.

The upcoming event makes me marvel at how lucky we are in New Westminster when it comes to outdoor play areas. The new Pier Park will feature two playgrounds, a concession, washrooms and playing fields, all in a beautiful waterfront setting. But it’s just the latest addition to many fantastic playgrounds around the city. Here’s the highlight reel of some others:

Moody Park

Located in Uptown, Moody Park has a playground, spray park, outdoor pool, tennis courts and playing fields. There are also washrooms and picnic benches along with lots of shade.

Why I love it: the location makes it the ideal place to stop off while running errands with the kids. Royal City Centre is right across the street and there are many eateries, businesses and shopping outlets — not to mention the public library — in the area.

Hume Park

Hume Park, located in Sapperton, was recently renovated. It features a large playground for school-aged kids with a separate area just for the little guys. The playground is nestled between an off-leash dog park (with plenty of trees and benches), an outdoor swimming pool and a spray park. There are also picnic benches, playing fields, washrooms, tennis courts and plenty of trees for shade.

Why I love it: the large play structure has a wide variety of challenges for older kids (it struck me as a decided response to recent criticisms that today’s playgrounds are too safe.) But my three-year-old was able to enjoy it as well. His younger brother, meanwhile, was happy puttering away in the toddler area, undisturbed by older kids.

Grimston Park

The West End’s Grimston Park has a recently rebuilt playground, a wading pool, tennis courts, washrooms and playing fields. The wading pool is open from noon – 4 pm, July to Labour Day, and has a lifeguard on duty during those times.

Why I love it: the climbing structure is very well designed. My two-year old can easily climb all the way to the top by himself (the look of triumph on his face after he completes this feat is priceless!) In fact, there is no part of the playground that’s not accessible to him. And yet, the school-age kids we see there are able to use the equipment in a way that challenges them as well. It allows all ages to play together.

Queen’s Park

Located in the heart of the city, New Westminster’s biggest park has one playground for little kids and another for the older ones. There’s also a spray park, a concession stand and washrooms, located among trees, picnic benches, grassy areas and flowers. But the highlight, from Victoria Day to Labour Day, is a petting farm filled with critters willing to have little hands tug at their ears.

Why I love it: the petting farm is fantastic with a variety of animals and knowledgeable volunteers, and it’s free (with a donation box at the exit.) The parking is abundant and free. And the size of the park makes the sights and sounds of the city fade away, letting me relax.

I lived in Vancouver for years before moving to New Westminster in 2008 and I’m hard-pressed to think of even one outdoor play space for kids that’s comparable to the playgrounds that New West offers.

What’s your favourite playground in New Westminster and why? Do you enjoy one of the ones I’ve listed here or did I miss a fabulous one that you want to share with everyone? Let’s hear it in the comments!

Kids New West extends our appreciation to  www.tenthtothefraser.ca where this article first appeared on June 15, 2012. Thank you for sharing!

Children’s Centre Helps

Lynda Tobias

I moved to New Westminster in December of 2008, when my older son was just three months old. I didn’t know at the time that I was mom to a child with special needs. Luckily, there are many resources here in New West for my son and our family. I want to share my experiences with you, so that if you have concerns about your child’s development, you’ll know that there are people here who can help. Because I didn’t know. Not at first.

From the time that he was born, my son was different from other babies. He cried constantly, rarely slept for more than half an hour at a time and had problems with feeding. As he got older, he hit many milestones early, but he had no interest in learning to talk. He also avoided eye contact, he melted down during story time at the library and the concept of pointing eluded him. I started taking him to doctors, but couldn’t seem to get anywhere.

When he was 19 months old, his little brother was born. When I took the baby to visit the Public Health Nurse at the Public Health Unit, I mentioned the concerns I had about my older child. She listened with empathy and then, in a move that forever improved the life of my firstborn, she referred him to the Fraser Health Speech and Hearing Clinic and to the Infant Development Program at the New Westminster Children’s Centre.

The Speech and Hearing Clinic warned me that the waitlist for treatment was nearly a year long, but an assessment could be arranged fairly quickly. It was during the assessment that, for the first time, someone else echoed what I had secretly suspected for months. The Speech Pathologist noticed that my son was displaying many symptoms associated with autism.

The Infant Development Consultant contacted me within a few days as well and immediately set up a home appointment to do an assessment. She arrived with no judgment about my unwashed dishes or piles of laundry. She enquired about the challenges my son and I faced, made observations, interacted with him in a variety of activities and took pages of notes. She pointed out several areas where he was not only meeting developmental expectations, but exceeding them. However, it was clear that he was dramatically developmentally delayed and immediate intervention was needed.
Our Infant Development Consultant came to our home regularly. She gave me easy, accessible activities to do with my son to try to coax him out of his world and into ours. She arranged for play dates at the Children’s Centre with other kids, referred him to occupational therapy and got him seen by a physical therapist.

The official diagnosis of autism came just before my son’s third birthday. A ‘Child and Youth with Special Needs’ Social Worker from the Ministry of Children and Families, located at the Children’s Centre, came to my home during nap time and helped guide me through the daunting task of filling out government forms and selecting appropriate therapy. When a clerical error at the funding unit in Victoria caused delays, she intervened and had the problem resolved immediately.

Around the same time, my son graduated from Infant Development and began working with a Supported Child Development Consultant. She helped find him a spot at a wonderful daycare and arranged for funding for a support worker to help him with the daily challenges he faces.

Because of the many resources that are available here in New Westminster, my son is a happy and well-adjusted three-year-old. His advanced understanding of letters and numbers leaves me in awe and he is now learning to interact with his peers and the world. Because of the support he gets, I no longer fear for his future. It’s looking brighter every day.

The New Westminster Children’s Centre is located at 811 Royal Avenue. They take referrals not just from medical professionals, but from parents themselves. If you have concerns about your child’s development, call them at 604.521.8078 local 318 and ask for either Infant Development (0-3 years) or Supported Child Development (3+ years). They will help you determine if your child meets the criteria to be eligible for services.

Kids New West extends our appreciation to  www.tenthtothefraser.ca where this article first appeared on Feb 28, 2012. Thank you for sharing!