Northbrae Early Years Centre and Neighbourhood Hub
In a July 14th, 2008 Report to the Community and Protective Services Committee, Neighbourhood and Children Services Pegged the Completion Date of the Northbrae Hub at December 2008. No Opening Date is given.
The report goes on to state the following:
"The Northbrae hub will provide a core, minimum set of services including neighbourhood services for children ages 0 to grade 8 and their parents and families. This will be a partnership between the City of London, The Thames Valley District School Board and YMCA Child Care Services, with the YMCA being the lead agency for service co-ordination.
Northbrae Early Years Hub
"In June 2008 a Request for Proposal to operate the Northbrae/Kipps Lane Neighbourhood Hub was awarded to the YMCA of Western Ontario (London) in affiliation with a significant number of service providers which include The Boys’ and Girls Club of London, Children’s Aid Society of Lordon and Middlesex, The City of London, Family Networks, London Urban Services Organization (LUSO), Merrymount Children’s Centre, Middlesex London Health Unit and Pathways. "
"This unique community collaboration will assist citizens in Kipps Lane through the provision of services focused on children and families in their neighbourhood. "
It seems grossly unfair that Kipps Lane is the only recipient of these services when the NEARBY Huron Boullee London Housing complexes are also in such dire need. In fact, a resident of the Huron Complex made that very point strenuously to Lynn Livingstone, Director of Neighbourhood & Childrens Services at a Community Meeting held on July 25th, 2008.
It should be noted that this Neighbourhood "Hub" and Day Care were already well into the planning stages before the Kipps Lane Initiative was ever announced. The KLI and the Northbrae Neighbourhood Hub have nothing to do with each other. In fact, the original mandate of the KLI was for 18 months and should have run out at the end of this month.
The KLI should not be extended and its report should simply be tabled at CPSC for the use of Neighbourhood and Childrens Services. The KLI has run out of time and the $180,000 it will spend this year on this initiative should not be renewed in 2009. With this Hub it is clear that more than enough money has been thrown at Kipps Lane with little results to show for it.
The Construction of the Early Years Centre is pretty much complete, at least from the exterior. The parking lot is paved and the original opening date of Fall 2008 has come and gone but no opening ceremonies have been announced. Several calls have been made to Neighbourhood and Child Services at City Hall as to the Opening of the Centre and NONE HAVE BEEN RETURNED.
In addition to the news that the Northeastender.ca has brought to you about the 61 new daycare spots which will open at the Early Years Centre which is attached to Northbrae P.S., the following activities below may be offered as well.
The YMCA of London will be the Primary Service Provider for the Day Care and the Hub and and other Service Providers will be brought in to provide programs such as the ones below. Details on the Early Years Centre will be published as soon as they are known. You are encouraged to call your Councillor Stephen Orser in Ward 4 and ask him about the Centre.
Hub services may include, but not limited to, example programs such as:
• Parenting Programs like How to Talk so Kids will Listen, Anti-Bullying, Terrific Toddlers, Feeding
your Infants, Nobody’s Perfect;
• Early learning activities like playgroups, Family Math, early literacy programs;
• Child and family health programs like Healthy Babies, Healthy Children and Well Baby clinics,
Infant Hearing Screening , Blind Low Vision Program for infants and children with vision issues,
Nutrition Programs with Community Food Advisors, speech and language like Tyke Talk;
• Children workshops on Temper Tricking, Anger Management, Social Skills Help, Parenting
workshops, Teen Parents Programming;
• Incredible Years Parenting Program
• Recreation Services (Leisure classes like Chess, Arts & Crafts workshops).
