Other Community Programs
For New & Expecting Parents
Are you pregnant? Are you a teenager, Indigenous person or are you feeling isolated and alone? Baby’s Best Start can help!
Baby’s Best Start services include prenatal, postnatal and breastfeeding information and support, as well as home visits, nutrition coupons and cooking classes. Childcare is provided during classes at the Centre. We also provide transportation to and from classes at the Centre if needed. It’s great fun and you get to interact with other women! For more information call 306-766-6320.
A program of the Regina Early Learning Centre, the Regina Perinatal Health Network has its own website, Facebook, and Instagram accounts to increase awareness and provide community education specific to this area of health.
Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders (PMAD) like Postpartum Depression affect 1 in 5 birthing people every year and we know, without a doubt, that untreated perinatal mental illness significantly impacts the development of young children.
Regina Perinatal Health Network (RPHN) supports are accessible online and FREE for parents in the community to ensure families have the support they need to stay healthy throughout the perinatal period. These include:
- 1 on 1 prenatal support & postpartum wellness sessions
- a weekly PMAD support group
- prenatal education classes
- support groups through Facebook
Healthiest Babies Possible Program – A holistic program designed for pregnant women up to 34 weeks gestation who have limited prenatal support. Individual support & advocacy are provided working together through a team that includes community health workers, a public health nurse, a nutritionist and others. The program is offered during prenatal period and up to 6 months post partum, and includes support groups and breastfeeding support. Childcare and transportation are provided to access programming.
Prenatal Classes – to talk about pregnancy, childbirth and your new baby with mothers. There is an opportunity to practice relaxation for labour, partners are welcome. We also have regular tours of labour & delivery. Time is spent with a nutritionist. Child Care is provided. Program is offered free.
KidsFirst is a FREE voluntary program that helps vulnerable families become the best parents they can be and have the healthiest children possible. The Early Learning Centre is one of the local agencies that delivers the KidsFirst program.
KidsFirst families receive:
- Support from a home visitor who provides assistance regarding child development, parenting and connecting to the community;
- Help to access services such as childcare and parent support groups;
- Early learning opportunities for children; and
- Help regarding literacy, nutrition, transportation and specialized counseling services.
If you are are expecting a baby and are interested in the program, call 306-766-6340 or email kidsfirst@rqhealth.ca.
MVP is a program for mothers, newborns and their families. It provides support and care at home following the birth of a baby. The program is delivered by Public Health Nurses from the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region (RQHR). A Public Health Nurse from the MVP will check on both you and your baby, provide health information, answer questions, give you support and help you and your family adjust to parenthood.
All mothers are automatically referred to the program. Once you have left the hospital, a Public Health Nurse from the MVP will contact you to arrange a home visit. The home visit is usually made within 24 hours of hospital discharge. The MVP is available FREE OF CHARGE to both rural and city clients within the RQHR.
For more information, please visit www.rqhealth.ca/department/public-health-nursing/maternity-visiting-program.
The RQHR offers FREE evening and weekend prenatal classes. Learn about what to expect during labour and delivery including relaxation techniques and other ways to help you stay comfortable. The classes also cover breastfeeding basics and what to expect in your early days home with your new baby. Your support person is encouraged to attend classes with you.
Register for prenatal classes as soon as you know you are pregnant. Call 306-766-7500 for more information about classes, times, and locations.
For Children
The Ministry of Education’s Early Learning & Childcare Branch updates their list of licensed childcare centres and childcare homes regularly. Click here to find licensed childcare providers currently operating in Saskatchewan.
Come ‘n’ Learn Aboriginal Head Start
www.afscregina.ca/programs/come-n-learn-regina-aboriginal-head-start
The Come ‘n’ Learn Regina Aboriginal Head Start Preschool is offered by the Eagle Heart Centre. Come ‘n’ Learn is open to First Nations, Metis and Inuit children 3 to 5 years old. To learn more about Aboriginal Head Start, visit the website, or call (306) 525-4161.
Early Learning Centre
www.earlylearning.ca
The Early Learning Centre’s preschool program is a half-day program built upon child-centered and culturally sensitive principles. The preschool provides a transportation program for children, and family participation in the preschool is welcomed.
Visit the Early Learning Centre website, call (306) 757-3744, or email info@earlylearning.ca for more information.
SCEP Centre
www.scepcentre.com
The SCEP Centre is an intensive, early intervention, preschool program supporting the development of children with complex social, communication, and/or educational needs and offering guidance and support for their parents. Visit their website or call the centre at (306) 543-6944 to learn more about the programs and services offered.
Pre-kindergarten programs are offered through selected Regina Public Schools and Regina Catholic Schools in Regina. Pre-kindergarten is a free early learning program taught by professional teachers open to children ages 3 and 4 years old.
Enrollment is limited, and priority is given to children who could benefit from extra help in the development of skills they will require in school, such as speech, language, and social skills. Children attend prekindergarten 4 half-days per week. Call your local school to learn more about enrolling for Pre-kindergarten.
The Regina Public Library (RPL) offers infant, toddler and preschool programs free to all children and family members.
Special Needs Resources
The Autism Resource Centre (ARC) is a non-profit, community-based organization incorporated to serve persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and to support their families. Since 1977, the members of ARC have sought to achieve a meaningful and independent life for individuals with ASD through education, awareness, and programming.
Wascana Rehabilitation’s Children’s Program supports families, health professionals and community caregivers. The program promotes the development of children who have or might have physical or developmental disabilities. A written referral from a physician, licensed to practice in Saskatchewan is required for entry into the program.
City of Regina is committed to meeting accessibility needs and providing recreational programs that are open to everyone. The City of Regina has several playgrounds which are accessible for all children. For a complete list, visit www.regina.ca/about-regina/accessibility/#outline-accessible-playgrounds
Persons with disabilities are encouraged to participate in programs listed throughout the City of Regina’s Leisure guide. The City of Regina also offers Adapted and Inclusive Programs which are intended to ensure inclusion in recreational programs.
The Attendant Admission program allows persons with a disability who require support during recreation activities at City-operated facilities or programs to bring their own attendant at no cost. For more information about accessibility, visit City of Regina | Accessibility.
The Cognitive Disabilities Strategy is meant to provide services to address the unmet needs of people with cognitive disabilities and their families.
Early Childhood Intervention Programs (ECIPs) are a province-wide network of community-based supports for families of children who experience or are at risk for developmental delays. ECIPs utilize a strength-based approach to deliver family-focused, home- and centre-based services to families. Early Childhood Interventionists and Consultants build trusting relationships with families and assist them in working toward mutually-identified goals. There are fifteen ECIPs located throughout Saskatchewan.
Children who are involved with ECIPs are often delayed in reaching age-appropriate developmental milestones such as walking, talking, eating, maneuvering, playing or interacting socially with others, or are born with a condition or diagnosis that makes it more difficult for them to develop at rates that are typical for a specific age group. ECIP interventionists build trusting relationships with families and assist them in working toward mutually-identified goals for their child(ren) and family.
ECIP staff provide an important link between families and other professionals in the Early Learning and Child Care sector and the PreK-12 sector. They strive to work collaboratively with child care providers, speech and language pathologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, physicians, early childhood psychologists, teachers, and school administrators, among others, to ensure family-centred goals are achieved and smooth transitions to school and other centre-based programs and services occur.
Hope’s Home is a family-centered environment providing care to medically fragile children giving them a place to live, play, and be kids. “Medically Fragile children are children who have a chronic or progressive medical condition that may become unstable resulting in a life threatening situation. Medically fragile children require care, support and monitoring by nursing professionals.” Hope’s Home considers the child to be medically fragile when s/he has one or more of the following: Tracheostomy, feeding tube, seizure disorder, mechanical ventilation, life threatening/chronic condition that requires nursing care.
SCEP CENTRE was created in 1968 as a remedial, professional service for young children with Socialization, Communication, and Education problems. Integral to SCEP’s approach are services for the children’s caregivers. The approach is holistic and based on respect for each child as an evolving, striving young person with a unique history, with individual needs, abilities and limitations. Help for the children is to be provided in a carefully monitored and enriched social and physical environment that is subjectively and objectively safe. The development of genuine emotional bonds and of honest and tolerant two-way communication and language are seen as the keystones to socialization and education.
For Parents
The Early Learning Centre’s Parents as Teachers program supports parents in their role as their child’s first and most important teacher. It is available to families expecting a child and with children up to the age of three.
Families receive a monthly visit from a qualified Parent Educator. During these visits parents learn about their child’s development and are introduced to play activities to encourage this development. For more information, call the Early Learning Centre at (306) 757-3744.
What is Triple P?
Triple P is a parenting program, but it doesn’t tell you how to be a parent. It’s more like a toolbox of ideas. You choose the strategies you need. You choose the way you want to use them. It’s all about making Triple P work for you.
Triple P helps you:
- Raise happy, confident kids
- Manage misbehaviour so everyone in the family enjoys life more
- Set rules and routines that everyone respects and follows
- Encourage behaviour you like
- Take care of yourself as a parent
- Feel confident you’re doing the right thing
How does positive parenting work?
Because all families are different, Triple P has a range of ways to get your positive parenting help. Choose anything from single visit consultations to public seminars; group courses to private sessions. You can even do Triple P online at home.
Nobody’s Perfect is a FREE preventive educational and support program for parents of children from birth to age five. It supports parents to enhance their knowledge, skills and self-confidence that are vital to healthy and effective parenting. It also encourages the development of a strong and supportive social network among participants.
Developed by Health Canada, Nobody’s Perfect meets the needs of young, single, low-income, socially or geographically isolated parents or parents with limited formal education. Nobody’s Perfect is a primary prevention program and is not intended for families where parenting relationships are in crisis. In 1990 the Saskatchewan Institute on Prevention of Handicaps became the coordinating agency in Saskatchewan.
Rainbow Youth Centre’s Young Parent Program (YPP) is a FREE 14-week parenting group for parents up to 25 years of age that provides a wide range of services and supports to young parents. A comprehensive 14 week parenting group is offered twice a year, as well as summer and winter workshops. Topics may include childhood development, budgeting, first aid, nutrition, play & learning, parent effectiveness training, and self-esteem for the family.
In addition, a Playschool Program is offered in partnership with KidsFirst. This group gives young children an opportunity to develop social skills as they interact and learn with other children. Childcare, transportation, and snacks are provided for all Young Parent Programs. Certificates for attendance are offered upon completion of the program. Also, all programs are voluntary. For more information, registration, or referrals call the Young Parent Program at (306) 757-9743.
The Parent Mentoring Program of Saskatchewan is a FREE home-visiting based, outreach program that provides assistance and support to parents who are pregnant or parenting newborn to 5 year olds. Parents are matched with a volunteer mentor or a para professional who will enhance the parents ability to effectively care for her/his children and self. This program links new parents and experienced parents to provide support, role-modeling and friendship.
Catholic Family Services has had a support program for young parents (21 & under) since 1984. The Young Parent Program provides services and mentoring to teenage and young mothers and their children.
For the Whole Family
Regina Education & Action on Child Hunger (REACH) delivers a Good Food Box to pick-up locations every two weeks for anyone in Regina who wants healthy, delicious, fresh food that’s affordable. It’s the next best thing to having a fruit & vegetable stand right on your corner! This produce is as ripe and juicy as you would find at your local grocery store. It sells for a not-for-profit price, often saving you as much as 1/3 to 1/2 of your usual produce bill!
The Family Basket program is available to those on social assistance. With this program, you receive approximately 50 lbs of food, including: vegetables, fruit, bread, pasta, rice, eggs, and more for $30 per box. You can receive one or two boxes each month. Talk to your social assistance worker for more information about this program or call REACH at 306-347-3224.