Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 22, 1990, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press april 1900 Page 3 Brian City editor papal visit delights Prague Solidarity delegates endorse life Ine photos by Gerry free press funding woes imperil City Parent child centres by Zena Olijnyk As Fivey Earold George Bruce starts to carry a tub of most of it ends up on himself and the floor of the Ellice Parent child what Are you up his Mother Brenda asks holding on to the youngest of her four two month old youre not supposed to be doing but Lori coordinator for the gently Steps she tells Brenda its All that George needs water so he and the other children at the Centre can use it As part of their dont hell be says he just wants to Brenda smiles and focuses her attention Back on her its All part of the learning process at the Ellice Street one of five Parent child centres in Winnipeg designed to help intercity parents Cope better with their children while giving preschoolers a stimulating environment to grow the parents sometimes look to me for says if they see that i dont get they dont get upset the concept behind Parent child centres is to develop healthy relationships Between Low income parents and their preschool children by creating play opportunities while developing a support network for Treyve been operating since 1985 at the Ellice two others River Elm Parent child Centre and at Pinkham school opened in at theres a drop in play a toy and Book lending a clothes Exchange and food cupboard for those whole run out of As Well As a resource Centre for in there Are workshops and special events for ranging from childbearing to menopause and housing but right the Parent child centres Are fighting for their if they dont find some Money they could close in August when current funding arrangements run until Treyve existed on Grants from Core area initiative and the Winnipeg school this the centres met with education and family services department officials to ask the province to commit a year to keep the centres saving its next to impossible to operate from one Short term Grant to the after the Centre officials said they we rent particularly encouraged by what they were they Are holding a news conference tomorrow to announce what the future of the centres will without the Parent child they intercity parents will lose a valuable tool for dealing with the stresses of raising children while helping their children get a head Start on the social and learning skills necessary for advocates of the centres say they Are an important part of preventing child As they try to Deal with problems before they for a lot of especially people living in cramped apartments in the Core its easy for frustrations to build says Theresa a Parent who sits on the Ellice Centre for Middle income there Are resources available and More Money for programs like Kinder gym or Thiessen for to take yourself and three children its going to Cost More than parents who use the Centre say its their lifeline to sanity in the often difficult task of raising this has become my second says 24yearold Sharon who attends the Ellice Centre almost every Day with Fivey Earold Twoy Earold Kristy and Oney Earold Martha Bruce tries a Little Bannock baby Stephanie nods off at an inner City Parent child Day care the centres encourage play Between Iris Otte reads most times she comes with the father of the who give his last both Are sometimes when were having an argument Between we come Down Here to get out of the he you have to act different when youre with other and it gives the kids a Chance to play with other As Anderson nurses her own Oney Earold she says one of the main strengths of the centres is that parents come with their children rather than dropping their children off at a Day it gives parents a Chance to work with their children in a positive says who started coming to the Centre when it opened four years at the same parents have a Chance to learn from other parents about the Best Way to handle certain i dont Feti so much like in says Brenda holding Stephanie As her three Earold Martha clings to her the two older George and Foury Earold Zachariah play on a plastic slide with other the noise level growing As the morning crowd reaches its it sometimes can be very lonely and researchers with the neighbourhood parenting support project a three year study looking at ways to prevent child neglect and abuse by improving social and neighbourhood support says Low support for parents can contribute to maltreatment of in a Survey of families living the project discovered a higher incidence of disruptive events such As crime and violence about four such events Over a two year one in four parents interviewed said they did not have at least one person with whom they could discuss personal and two out of five parents said that when they had a need for parenting they found none was it concluded Parent child centres create opportunities for parents to Leam appropriate skills through role especially from staff who can help change inappropriate parenting the Beauty of this Centre is that those parents at risk can mingle with those who have Good parenting said Therese an intervention officer with the part of the University of Manitoba and funded by the Federal health Anderson offers hidden benefits disguise need for Sites by Zena Olijnyk while Parent child centres perform a valuable advocates say its difficult to gain financial support for a program whose benefits Arent always easy to governments like and when a prevention program such As this comes its easy to say other things take said Therese a research associate with the parenting support costes said she and other supporters Are convinced the centres help Deal with the Issue of child neglect and abuse before they become cases for child and family service theres a definite Benefit to but its hard to because youre dealing in prevention things that Haven happened she supporters of Parent child centres say proof that the concept is working lies in their popularity with parents with More than visits in the past year at the Elgin and Strathcona centres these centres have tremendous support from the very clientele there aimed at said David executive director of Central child and family services of Central if they we rent parents use them to the extent they Schellenberg and costes both say that in the Long funding this Type of preventive program is cheaper than allowing situations of bad parenting to fester until they Lead to neglect or Schellenberg said his and other child and family services agencies already use the centres As a meeting ground for parents and children who have been taken into temporary protective it provides a Neutral ground for parents and away from our offices but not directly Back into the parents Schellenberg its also a very supportive Liberal family services critic Avis Gray says that if the province fails to recognize the importance of Parent child it is taking a shortsighted View of How to Deal with major issues such As Wiiilie both education minister Len Derkach and family services minister Charlotte Oleson say they recognize the programs both have been unwilling to add Parent child centres to the list of programs with Lon term budget ;