Iqaluit parent support group expands service

Sarah Price, the president of Iqaluit Parents and Tots, and Catherina de Goede, the organization’s executive director. (PHOTO BY SAMANTHA DAWSON)

Parents and Tots, a society that’s been active in Iqaluit for more than 20 years, is revamping its programming and turning itself into a resource centre to help parents, rather than just a place for kids to play.

This comes after the creation of a new board, and the hiring of a new, full-time executive director.

The society, a non-profit since 2002, currently operates at the Abe Okpik Community Centre in Apex on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, but hopes to open in the afternoons as well.

There can be anywhere from 10 to 30 children per day and the space is donated by the city.

“We don’t want to have funding for kids just to come in and play anymore, we want to do music classes, we want to be able to provide parenting classes, maybe how to make your own baby food, how to discipline your children, there’s just nothing here like it,” president Sarah Price said.

The group is looking at having nursing students volunteer to teach parents about health and nutrition, such as how to prepare healthy snacks for children, how to shop for good food and using more country food.

Workshops in teaching Inuktitut and music classes to teach traditional songs are also ideas.

The idea is to bring parents into these workshops so that they can go home with learned skills.

“Nobody’s doing this stuff. There are no programs in town for small kids except for daycares,” Price said.

But to implement the new programming, Parents and Tots will need more funding.

“Right now we need grant money from the government, which we’re hoping we’ll be able to get so that we can make this programming possible,” Price said. “Hopefully we can get the funding we need to do something completely different.”

Parents and Tots will apply to the Department of Economic Development and Transportation, as well as Baffinland Iron Mines Corp. and local businesses.

“Baffinland is a big one we’re going to be approaching,” Price said.

It’s only been a few weeks since she changed the structure of Parents and Tots, but Price said she has already noticed more interest.

Catherina de Goede, the executive director, said she is excited to start the new programming.

“We want to really reach out, especially to families in Apex,” she said. “We want to be able to get the whole community involved.”

De Goede said the group hopes to really get started in September.

“So far, just by talking to nurses and certain students, it looks like we’re going to have volunteers,” she said.

Working with the elder’s centre could also happen in the future, de Goede said.

Money for Parents and Tots comes from the Healthy Children’s Initiative, administered by the Government of Nunavut, Brighter Futures, a federal program administered by the City of Iqaluit, and through the association’s own fundraising efforts.