Our History
Family Place (previously known as Kids R First) came together in April of 1994 to help promote the emotional, physical, intellectual and social well-being of children aged 0-6 and their families by offering a comprehensive range of programs and services to families living in East Prince County, Prince Edward Island. To do this, Family Place adopted the Family Resource Centre model to carry out its programming.
To ensure programming was family driven and relevant Family Place utilized the community development model as its governing framework early on in its formation. This model is highly responsive to community input and has many built in mechanisms which provide key stakeholders with opportunities to give feedback and participate in the various levels of governance.
What is a Family Resource Centre?
We believe that children are our greatest resource and that the community as a whole must share in the responsibility to support young parents in their important role. As a grass roots community organization, we strive for community partnership and collaboration with existing service providers to strengthen family support and to avoid duplication with those supports already in place.
We recognize the need for relevant programming and services for children and their families and strive to offer such programming in a warm, friendly, supportive and safe environment where families can play together, gain new skills, share ideas and meet new friends.
We offer a continuum of support including child development and parenting programs, early childhood education training, prenatal & postnatal programs, breastfeeding support, healthy living programs, resource lending libraries, partnering with the in-home visiting program Best Start, referral services as well as many other support services.
Family Place offers families living in East Prince County a place where all families, people young and old, single or married can share and enjoy programs and activities, both fun and educational.
Welcome to Family Place, a place for fun and enjoyment, a place to meet other families and reconnect with the community, a place to learn and share - a place for you and your family. Come and join us and we guarantee that you'll feel right at home with our friendly, warm and welcoming staff!
Don't just take it from us, here's a sampling of what parents think:
- "Family Place is like a home away from home. My kids love it here and I look forward to some grown-up discussion."
- "Taking this (parenting) program was the best thing I ever did. It's wonderful."
- "The children learn to interact with other children. Learn new skills, learn to sit and interact as part of a group, learn to share and play with others. It's good preparation for kindergarten."
- "I think the parenting program was great. It made me realize that everyone else is going through the same things as I am, and that I'm not alone."
- "The parenting topics covered were great and other people's input was very helpful."
- "I learned a lot about how children develop and what I can be doing to ensure my children are healthy."
- "I feel supported. You can get help with pretty much anything. Everyone is very nice. There is good support from other parents. I've made lots of friends."
