The United Way is investing $400,000 into neighborhood programs in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam this year to strengthen families and reduce the vulnerabilities of kindergarten children.
Announced to much fanfare at a community event at James Park elementary school in Port Coquitlam Wednesday, the funds are part of a three-year $1.2 million commitment that could see improvements in child care, improved access to recreation programs and a campaign to make the tightly-knit neighborhood called Coquitlam River more child-friendly.
"We know from our data that there's a 43% vulnerability rate in this neighborhood which is quite far above the provincial average (of 33%), if we can focus our resources in one neighborhood at a time we can start to influence the vulnerability rate, that's the big goal," explained Jeff Calbick, the United Way's senior director of community impact and investment.
The Avenues of Change program launched April 1 builds on work of the My Neighborhood, My Future program that started in 2013 and built connections with neighborhood champions and sought input from parents, children and service providers to find out what was missing in the community that follows the Coquitlam River north from Lougheed Highway to David Avenue with Coast Meridian the eastern boundary.
Calbick said the input from 1,200 people was used to identify four strategies that will be implemented over the next year in partnership with the Westcoast Family Centre, a family resource center with a long history in Port Coquitlam.
The early childhood initiative will reach out to enlist families to get involved in different activities, such as hosting block parties or volunteering, work with service providers to enhance programs and and engage schools, churches in businesses in projects to make children more successful.
"It's all about reducing barriers to access that that people might have for lots of different reasons."
Another key initiative will be to study childcare services to make them better and more accessible because lack of quality childcare was a big issue that parents raised.
