Foster Parent Blog
Child Care Survey from the Ministry of Education & Child Care
(Daycare and Out of School Care)
On behalf of the Ministry of Education and Child Care, we are sharing the survey information below to help inform the Province’s ChildCareBC initiatives:
We know that many families depend on school-age child care to ensure their children have a quality, affordable, and inclusive place to be during a parent’s full work day. That is why the Province’s ChildCareBC plan is working to expand access to child care for all families that want and need it.
The Ministry of Education and Child Care is conducting a parent survey to better understand the regional and provincial demand for school age child care.
While we know there is unmet demand for school-aged child care, there is no current provincial or regional data quantifying the demand. Your participation will help the Province plan for future school-aged child care expansions.
This survey is intended for all parents, regardless of the type of child care you currently use or even if you are not using any child care at all.
Who should fill out this survey?
If you have children attending Kindergarten to Grade 7 at a B.C. school, we want to hear from you about your family’s child care needs.
What will this survey be used for?
The survey results will be used to support planning for future initiatives under the ChildCareBC plan. All responses are voluntary and anonymous; you and your child will not be identified as a result of your participation in the survey. Information received will be combined and shared with your school and district as a summary.
How do I complete the survey?
The survey is now available online at: https://www.awinfosys.com/surveyfull3/minofed/main/SchoolAgeParents.asp?SchoolNumber=1399 and is available in 18 languages. The survey will take 10-15 minutes to complete and is available starting November 21 Please only complete the survey once. The link is intended especially for you. Please do not share the link with anyone else. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at ChildCareBC.Engagement@gov.bc.ca. If you encounter any technical difficulties, please contact the web survey provider (AWIS) at support@awinfosys.com.
We greatly appreciate your input and thank you in advance for your participation.
Join Our Facebook Groups!
Our Foster Parent Connection Facebook Groups were created to offer caregivers a way to come together in a safe, virtual space to support one another.
- Share ideas and resources that have been helpful to you
- Ask questions
- Offer items for you would like to donate, buy, or sell
- Request or offer relief post
- To help reduce the stress and anxiety of fostering in isolation.
Please remember that while this is a private group, Facebook is public and permanent. It is not appropriate to use children’s names or detailed descriptions of situations, children, or families. Profanity, racism, and offensive language will not be tolerated.
We would like to remind everyone that this group is for information sharing and connection with positive engagements. The Fostering Community is welcome.
If you’re not in your local Foster Parent Connection Group on Facebook, and would like to be, please join using one of the links below!
By joining our Facebook Group you will receive regular updates on upcoming workshops, networking events, MCFD updates, and more!
South Island Foster Parent Connection Group
https://bit.ly/3XDu99h
Cowichan Valley Foster Parents Group
https://bit.ly/3lITEse
Parksville and Area Foster Parents Group
https://bit.ly/3jVUFwU
Nanaimo Foster Parents Group
https://bit.ly/43VfUjS
Port Alberni Foster Parents Group
https://bit.ly/3NJElLJ
Comox Valley Foster Parents Group
https://bit.ly/3K917v3
Campbell River Foster Parents Group
https://bit.ly/42WNO6u
SAJE (Strengthening Abilities and Journeys of Empowerment)
Check out these new resources for youth in and from care!
SAJE (Strengthening Abilities and Journeys of Empowerment)
Historic help for youth from care will support strong transitions to adulthood
Young people in government care will have access to new and increased supports until the age of 27.
Budget 2022 investments will better support them as they transition to adulthood. Read more.
Learn more about the SAJE supports and services in this infographic.
Youth Transitions has a new name – SAJE!
Youth and young adults who have been in government care in British Columbia helped develop a new name for the supports and services available to them as they transition from care – the Strengthening Abilities and Journeys of Empowerment (SAJE) program.
The ministry’s Youth Advisory Council, a group of young adults who use their lived experience with the government’s care system to improve the quality of care for B.C. children and youth, were instrumental in developing the new SAJE program name.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2023
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a day for all Canadians to commemorate the history and legacy of the residential school system.
It’s a day to honour the resilience, dignity and strength of survivors and intergenerational survivors and remember the children who never came home. It’s a chance to engage and educate people about B.C.’s colonial history and how it has and continues to impact Indigenous communities.
Provincial legislation
On March 9, 2023, the Province of British Columbia passed legislation to make September 30 a statutory holiday.
Enshrining National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in B.C. law gives more people the chance to commemorate the history and legacy of the residential school system on September 30 each year. This was done by creating a new Act called The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Act.
Having a provincial statutory holiday means eligible B.C. workers are able to observe September 30 with a paid day off or receive payment at premium rates if required to work.
More British Columbians will be able to take part in the day such as attending local events, reading, watching and listening to Indigenous-created content, supporting an Indigenous-owned business, talking to family, friends and coworkers about reconciliation, and wearing an orange shirt.
British Columbia joins Canada, Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon as jurisdictions that have designated September 30 as a statutory holiday. Continue reading on BC Government Website.
South Island Events
Island Métis Society
Friday, September 29th, 2023
10:00am to 2:00pm
Gym
Everyone Welcome!
For more Information Visit:
https://www.facebook.com/imfcss
South Island Powwow
Saturday, September 30th, 2023
Gates Open: 10:00am
Royal Athletic Park
1014 Caledonia Avenue, Victoria
Everyone Welcome!
For more Information Visit:
https://www.songheesnation.ca/south-island-powwow
Reconcile: Witnessing Candid Truths From Survivors
Saturday, September 30th, 2023
4:00pm to 7:00pm
St. Ann’s Academy
835 Humbolt Street, Victoria
For more Information Visit:
https://www.facebook.com/events/3440744536177102
Central Island
Orange Day in the Bay
Saturday, September 30th, 2023
11:00am to 5:00pm
Huddlestone Park, Lantzville
General Admission: $22.63
For more Information Visit:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/orange-day-in-the-bay-tickets-710647976227
Tseshaht First Nation National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Orange Shirt Day)
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of closing the Alberni Indian Residential School (AIRS)
Saturday, September 30th, 2023
10:00am – AIRS Student Art Display at Barclay Hotel
11:00am – Walk starts at Barclay Hotel
12:00pm – Celebration begins at Maht Mahs
Best Western Plus Barclay Hotel
4277 Stamp Ave, Port Alberni
Everyone welcome!
For more information visit:
https://tseshaht.com/event/national-day-for-truth-reconciliation/
National Day for Truth & Reconciliation Exhibit
Saturday, September 30th, 2023
10:00am to 3:00pm
Ucluelet Secondary School
1450 Peninsula Rd, Ucluelet
For more information visit:
https://mailchi.mp/22ee48f659cb/cbt-newsletter-12780269?fbclid=IwAR1CEEN3-V5DA-TaBrcsgpT1MOUvKf2BVsfK3ygblraKrD8wokIkP046Brg
Upper Island Events
8th Annual Every Child Matters Walk
Saturday, September 30th, 2023
11:00am
Spirit Square
Virtual Events and Learning
A Day to Listen
Saturday, September 30th, 2023
Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund
Major Media Outlets and Radio Stations
For more information visit: https://downiewenjack.ca/a-day-to-listen/#toggle-id-17-closed
Intergenerational Resilience: Sharing Stories From Families Of Residential School Survivors
Monday, October 2nd, 2023
Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund
YouTube and Facebook
Fore more information visit: https://downiewenjack.ca/event/intergenerational-resilience-sharing-stories-from-families-of-residential-school-survivors/
BC Museums Association
Multiple Events and Lots of Information!
For more information visit: https://museum.bc.ca/national-day-for-truth-and-reconciliation/
Check out this fantastic email full of resources from the Federation of Community Social Services of BC:
https://mailchi.mp/fcssbc/resources-for-national-day-for-truth-and-reconciliation?e=f8f1f15fab
Happy Foster Family Month!
Originally proclaimed as Foster Family Week in October 1990, Foster Family Month is an opportunity to recognize foster families and the work they do across B.C.
Foster families come in all shapes, sizes, and configurations. But they have something in common. When they see a need in their community,
they don’t say, “Oh, that’s too bad. Somebody should do something.” They become the somebody, they do the something.
If you are a foster caregiver, we know some things about you…
You don’t foster because you are exceptional, you are exceptional because you foster.
You have been misjudged, criticized, and undervalued. In one day.
You have been praised, thanked, and acknowledged. In one day.
Like the TARDIS, your heart is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.
You wish people who make movies and tv shows would stop portraying foster children as serial killers, drug addicts, or homeless throwaways.
You make the children and youth in your home a promise that they will have a safe place to sleep, acceptance on their best and worst days, clean,
warm clothing and something to eat every day, and that they are worthy of being loved. Always, and without conditions.
Your Inner Mamma Bear (which both moms and dads can have) is fearless, unrelenting, and ready to protect your cubs from all threats.
You can be inspired and discouraged, wise and foolish, patient and prickly, and tired. In one day. But mostly tired.
If you had to choose right now between a new car and an afternoon alone that included a bubble bath and a nap, you aren’t sure which you’d choose.
The Board and Staff of FPSS Society offers its deepest appreciation for the foster caregivers across Vancouver Island who go all-in to support
children and youth at a difficult time in their lives. Thank you for your bravery, patience, compassion, commitment, and understanding.
Thank you for the sense of belonging you give the children and youth who come to you frightened, angry, and hurting.
Never forget that even when you can’t see it, you are planting seeds of hope, courage, and comfort that will provide roots of strength and branches of possibilities.
Wildfire Information for Foster Parents
BC Centre for Disease Control
Wildfires and smoke have always occurred in British Columbia, but they are becoming more frequent and severe as the climate changes. Wildfire smoke is a form of air pollution that can affect your health.
Exposure to air pollution can irritate the lungs, cause inflammation, and alter immune function.
What to do if you get an evacuation order?
BC Wildfires are affecting many regions. If you live in a wildfire-impacted area, be prepared in case you need to evacuate. Have a household emergency plan. Know the difference between an evacuation alert or order.
Register with Emergency Support Services
People on evacuation alert/order, or displaced due to wildfire: please register with Emergency Support Services asap. ESS can provide emergency services. If your local government or First Nation has asked you to register online, please visit: http://ESS.gov.bc.ca
BC Wildfire Update
Watch Premier David Eby, Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests, and others, give an important update on the wildfire situation in BC.