The grand opening of the Martensville-Warman Early Years Family Resource Centre (MWEYFRC) took place on Friday, November 22nd. This celebration marked the official opening of a valuable resource for supporting families and their young children within the region.
Distinguished guests Honourable Terry Jensen; Minister of SaskBuilds & Procurement, Minister responsible for Social Services, Martensville’s Mayor Muench and Warman’s Mayor Philipchuk, MWEYFRC leadership, including Program Coordinator Emiley Martens, and Management Committee Chair, and Neda Wilson, Accountable Partner representative for the Prairie Spirit School Division, were all present for the event.
DeeAnn Mercier, CEO of the YMCA of Saskatoon, started off the celebration explaining how the MWEYFRC came to be and who helped them get here.
“It’s been a year to get to this point which makes me realize how much work, and how much work the people in this room have put in to get us to this point,” Mercier said. “YMCA of Saskatoon is the operating partner in collaboration with the Prairie Spirit School Division through funding from the Ministry of Education Early Years Branch.”
The mandate for MWEYFRC is to provide a welcoming space where young children from prenatal to age 6 and their parents and caregivers can bond, learn and play together; basically a space to play with your child, meet people and get advice from early childhood professionals all for free.
Mercier explained that there are four pillars the centre goes by to provide drop-in and group-based opportunities to support the development of young children.
• Early Learning Opportunities – enhance child development with positive experiences of play.
• Parenting Education – builds parenting skills to support early learning outcomes and provide responsive and nurturing environments at home.
• Family Welfare – working with families to provide services to support the health and wellness of families, such as vaccine clinics or fluoride painting on teeth, an easy place to access those services.
• Information and Referrals – link families to resources that will help them raise healthy children.
Honourable Terry Jenson stated that, “Our government is continuing to improve access to early years programming and family support by opening these centres throughout the province.”
Jenson also noted that there will be 21 centres in 19 communities where families can connect to arrange early learning opportunities and supports in a single location and at no cost.
“As communities of Martensville and Warman, I know we really value a place that’s safe and provides opportunities for families and so having this kind of resource and the funding the province has committed to that, the YMCA for operating it, is so very important because we need those kiddos to get as much support and opportunity as they can and so I am really grateful that people have found value in that and have made this facility happen,” said Mayor Kent Muench.
Program Coordinator Emiley Martens expressed what she feels makes this centre so special is the endless amount of support from the community, as well as the staff who spend tireless hours creating, developing, and implementing a safe, inclusive, positive environment where families come together during the early years, which is a very important time span for children, as well as family development.
“It is a blessing to be the Centre Coordinator and I am truly honored for the opportunity to connect with caregivers, their children, and the outside organizations we will be partnering with. I look forward to seeing our centre grow, connecting with the many new faces walking through our door, and expanding on continued support from the community. I’d like to thank Prairie Spirit, our management committee and my amazing staff for not only bringing our centre together, but our community.
Following a ribbon-cutting ceremony, guests were invited to tour the Centre, network, meet their team, and learn more about the programs and resources available to families.
Their doors are open Monday – Friday 9:30am – 4pm. Check out their weekly schedule of activities on the ‘Martensville-Warman Early Years Family Resource Centre’ Facebook page.
