FAMILY & KIDS
ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT
Our space @ 573 East Hastings Street is accessible:
• Front door: 34 inch width
• No steps at entrance
• Washroom door: 31 inch width
• Toilet: 12 inch clearance on left side
• The washroom has a handrail and is accessible to all genders.
Kids Community Kitchen
☆ Sunday afternoons 12:00 - 2:30 pm
Program Lead: Shaista kidskitchen@dtesnhouse.ca
Kids Kitchen provides fun, enriching, cooking classes for up to 13 children aged 6-12, every Sunday afternoon. Through this program—which runs in 12-week cycles—our young participants develop a wide repertoire of cooking and kitchen-safety skills and learn about food-related topics, including nutrition, meal-planning, food-safety, and cultural diversity. The main dish and dessert recipe are chosen every week by the participants, with assistance from staff, and the sessions end up reflecting the individual children's interests, curiosities, and cultural backgrounds. The term wraps up with an exciting food related field trip such as to Granville Island, Lonsdale Quay, or the Vancouver Christmas Market. In addition to the practical skills and knowledge that children acquire through our Kids' Kitchen Program, participants also develop a powerful sense of competence and agency regarding their food and nutrition. Like all DTES NH programs, Kids' Kitchen sessions are positive, community-building events, set in a safe and nurturing space.
ON THIS PAGE:
Kids Community Kitchen
Family Drop-in
Early Years Drop-in
Kids’ Tutoring Program
Drawing & Painting with Arts Umbrella
Family Drop-in
☆ Tuesday and Thursday 3:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Email: fdi@dtesnhouse.ca
The Family Drop In Program (FDI) works to serve the needs of all families residing in the Downtown Eastside and the surrounding Strathcona and Oppenheimer area. Parents who are picking up their children from Strathcona Elementary, or leaving programming from YWCA’s Crabtree Corner, are welcomed into the Neighbourhood House at 3:30pm. All parents/ caregivers and children are welcome.
One of the key aims of Family Drop In is to improve the determinants of health for families and children in our community. We do this through a program emphasis on food literacy, healthy meal preparation, culinary exploration, and urban farming practices. This program works to mitigate the effects of material poverty now by providing access to healthy food, but also in the long term as participants acquire the skills and knowledge of healthy food preparation. The Neighbourhood House space offers opportunities for children and caregivers to explore arts, crafts, activities, and games with skilled and caring staff and volunteers. In the warm spring and summer months, families have the chance to take trips to our community garden to help plant, grow, and harvest vegetables to use in Neighbourhood House programs.
Family Drop In strives to create a welcoming environment and respectful culture, in which there is no competition or strife between families of differing ancestries. Parents who enter our doors may be materially and nutritionally vulnerable and live with a multiplicity of other physical/ mental health complexities. As well, children who access Family Drop In may be equally as challenged by the same barriers as their adult counterparts.
Family Drop In reminds all of our neighbours, that the world is their oyster and their deservedness inherent. The demands and strains of family life can often lead to isolation, and the Neighbourhood House looks to address that by providing a safe place to connect with other parents, children, youth, and helpful staff.
Early Years Drop In
☆ Fridays 9:00 am to 11:00 am
Email: fdi@dtesnhouse.ca
The Early Years Drop In (EYDI) program provides a space for caregivers and their young children, to eat breakfast, participate in activities, workshops, and seminars together. The program begins right after the school bell rings at Lord Strathcona Elementary, and families can leisurely walk over to the Neighbourhood House from there.
EYDI is a place for parents to come together and learn from one another. It is a peer facilitated talking space, where open conversation is encouraged to be supportive of one another. Topics covered include: parents mental health, appropriate screen time for toddlers and children, baby’s sleep schedule, how to deal with bad behaviour, and the importance of literacy for toddlers. Conversation will commence after a healthy breakfast has been eaten.
EYDI will also be offering two workshops series. The Neuro Emotional Learning Program teaches parents the basics of how emotions work, how to identify a range of emotions in self and others, and how to manage these emotions with a view to improving emotion management and positive effect. Additionally, The Nobody’s Perfect Parenting Program provides 6-weeks of facilitated workshops on promoting positive parenting, improving parents self-esteem and coping skills, help prevent family violence, and create a better understanding of children’s health, safety, and behaviour.
Kids’ Tutoring Program
☆ Mondays from 4:00pm-6:00pm
Program Lead: Shaista kidskitchen@dtesnhouse.ca
The Tutoring Program, in partnership with UBC CUBS (Children with Undergraduate Buddies Society) provides academic assistance to elementary school children in a variety of subjects including math, science, reading, and writing. The program runs every Monday afternoon for two hours; 45 weeks per year with a maximum of 10 participants at each session. The participants use laptops and headsets provided by the NH to connect with their tutors on zoom, where each child receives 1 hour of one-on-one tutoring. Outside of this hour, the children work on their homework with skilled program staff, have a snack, do silent reading, and participate in arts and crafts. The provision of a healthy after-school snacks offers additional nutritional support to the participants, many of whom rely on free meals from their school.
Drawing & Painting with Arts Umbrella
☆ Wednesdays from 3:30pm-5:00pm
Program Lead: Shaista kidskitchen@dtesnhouse.ca
The Wednesday Drawing and Painting class, in collaboration Arts Umbrella, provides children aged 7-11 with opportunities to express themselves creatively and discover new artistic mediums. This program runs in 8-week cycles, with 3 cohorts facilitated over the school year. The children have a chance to explore a variety of techniques and materials, with each week featuring a specific artist and their style. A wide range of supplies are provided throughout the term, with past projects including paint, pastels, glue, cardboard, and fabric pieces. Participants work with visual art with the guidance and support of Arts Umbrella staff and get to test their skills in multiple mediums, and overall have a positive experience with art and creating things that they can be proud of.