To refer to the Estevan Family Centre as a beehive of activity would be pure understatement. The activity, learning and family hub that caters to youngsters as young as newborns to those who are entering school, has become an integral part of the Energy City.
The 2,700 square feet of space is well utilized for open play areas, conference and office spaces as well as quiet areas where moms and babysitters can confer with centre staff or with each other. There is room for moms and dads and tots to interact comfortably in the well designed facility located at the west end of the Seventh Avenue strip mall.
The centre was celebrating its 10th anniversary last Friday morning (Feb. 3), although it was noted that it began as a child abuse prevention centre two years prior to the change in mandate.
Shari Sutter has been a member of the board of directors for 14 years, since the work began for the centre long before it gained an actual space to work from 10 years ago.
"We've been at this location for eight years. Prior to that it was located on Fourth Street," she said, commenting on the work that went into painting and furnishing the first centre and a repeat performance in the even larger quarters a few years later.
"When the mandate changed to include more educational components as well as child abuse prevention, things moved forward again. But 12 years ago, the centre was established by the Estevan Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse," said Sutter, a social worker who is now employed part-time by the Family Centre as family educator along with being a board member.
"It took us awhile to get the funding to become a Family Centre. And even today, the only real stable funding we get every year comes from the United Way Telethon in the city. We've been given $30,000 from them for the past few years," she said. Otherwise, the annual $115,000 (or more) operating revenue has to come from a variety of fundraising events or donations which puts pressure on the board and management.
Colleen Macmillen has been at the forefront of the management as the co-ordinator since the centre's inception and is grateful for the financial support of the community every year.
"This centre probably wouldn't exist without Colleen," said Sutter quite frankly.
"She is the backbone of this operation and has been for 10 years. It's really Colleen who has made this centre work."
While the majority of the children attending the centre are pre-school aged, the Family Centre also offers programming for school-aged kids, especially in the summer when the numbers can swell up to 300 participants.
"Parental involvement is important and we've had over 13,000 families visit the centre and they have come from rural areas like Macoun, Midale and even from centres further away. We've also had kids from Crosby, N.D. in our programs," said Sutter.
"We keep the traditional programs going and then add as we can. For instance we currently have a yoga class for moms and tots and a wiggle and giggle project. Then we'll throw in an Ooey Gooey Family Night to break things up."
One of the constant offerings is a morning coffee group for open discussions and questions that engage moms, dads, grandparents, sitters and staff.
"Every group program we've offered has been full with a waiting list. When they get too long, then we have to start new groups to accommodate them," said Sutter.
The Family Centre sets up programs to coincide with a variety of projects with other civic agencies. They work in concert with public health, for instance, for the Baby and Me program and with Social Services and their various service sectors as well as the Estevan Police Service. So the outreach influences are long and numerous.
Another thing that has remained a constant is the drop-in and play experience for youngsters and their caregivers. That is offered from 9:30 to 11:30 during the weekday mornings and 1 to 4 p.m.
"When we started adding some evening programs, we've seen an increase in attendance from dads, so that means doing more family focused things and as a result we've had a big increase in requests for our services," said Sutter.
Macmillen and Sutter note that for many new families, the Family Centre has become a hub for gaining information about local housing availability, daycare services, school facilities and their programs.
"We've become a real information centre," Sutter said.
Because the growth has resulted in more pressure on the staff, Macmillen said they need to increase the budget to include at least one more full-time staff member. It's becoming increasingly difficult to maintain extended hours and services with just 1.5 positions filled.
"We've never had sustained funding. It's always been the United Way and community donations. It becomes a challenge," said Macmillen.
In the meantime, the drop-in playtime program will attract anywhere from eight to 20 children on any given morning, plus their moms, grandmothers or other caregivers, which just provides a surface indication of what happens in and around this busy facility.
