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Kids expo focuses on literacy in virtual format

Regional KidsFirst partners with communities throughout the Good Spirit School Division, Christ the Teacher School Division and the Saskatchewan Health Authority, ​offering a variety of programs that aim to bring parents and their children together.
Expo Backpacks
Tess Berezowski, the Community Developer for Regional KidsFirst Yorkton Area 12, posed for a photograph with the Children Expo Literacy backpacks that were delivered in the area to children five years of age and younger who were registered for the virtual children's literacy expo.

Regional KidsFirst partners with communities throughout the Good Spirit School Division, Christ the Teacher School Division and the Saskatchewan Health Authority, ​offering a variety of programs that aim to bring parents and their children together. ​

One of those programs features a children's literacy expo that help encourage children aged five years and under to learn by creating fun learning environments and supportive relationships.

"Regional KidsFirst Yorkton Area 12 has partnered with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, Yorkton Family Resource Centre, Triple P Parenting in Yorkton, Good Spirit School Division, and Parkland Valley Sport, Culture and Recreation District to provide learning materials to help engage children in the five years old and under category," said Tess Berezowski, Community Developer for Regional KidsFirst Yorkton Area 12.

"TheChildren's Literacy Expo has successfully been turned into a virtual event. This "event" consists of your child(ren) receiving a free backpack chock-full of brand new, absolutely wonderful learning materials. Each of these materials will correlate with their own interactive video that you will gain access to through a link found in your backpack. This is a very special opportunity for families in these communities. Backpacks will be delivered to your towns just in time for February break, meaning they will be an awesome tool to keep your kiddos engaged for hours at a time," stated Berezowski.

The communities that were focused on were: Preeceville, Canora, Kamsack, Norquay, Pelly, Springside, Ituna, Neudorf, Saltcoats, Stockholm, Melville and Langenburg.

At the time of release some backpacks had already been delivered to some designated locations in some of the communities.

Regional KidsFirst Yorkton Area 12 programs help children and their families benefit from a strengthened focus on the first three years of life," said the Regional KidsFirst Yorkton Area 12 Facebook site.

Children benefit from high quality early learning environments, developmentally appropriate practices and engaging, supportive relationships. They have improved access to welcoming opportunities that support young children across all domains, including physical health and wellness, social/emotional, intellectual, language and communication and spiritual development. ​Children improve awareness about language and literacy as an important foundation in early childhood and caregivers are more aware of child developmental milestones and care needs​.

Children and families benefit from programs and services that are co-ordinated, integrated and aligned with enhancing public awareness and knowledge of the early years and inclusion of diverse cultures.

Ongoing programs for the Regional KidsFirst Yorkton Area 12 include:

IMPACT (Intriguing Minds, Parents and Children Together), Pop-Up Preschool, Car Seat Clinics and Kids in Safe Seats, FASD (Feta Alcohol Syndrome Awareness​), Dads Make a Difference and Main Street Mobile​​.