Everyone at KIS, in some capacity, is working with children, families and caregivers to enhance strengths, to build capacities and to promote healthy development and settlement journey. KIS delivers a range of services guided by principles that focus on building supportive relationships, facilitating growth, respecting diversity and furthering community development.
Children & Family Support
Everyone at KIS, in some capacity, is working with children, families and caregivers to enhance strengths, to build capacities and to promote healthy development and settlement journey. KIS delivers a range of services guided by principles that focus on building supportive relationships, facilitating growth, respecting diversity and furthering community development.
In Kamloops there are many organizations supporting families, they are known by various titles: family resource programs, family resource centres, community centres, community services, aboriginal friendship centres, early years centres, YMCA, family places, school boards, toy libraries, and more.
Our names are different but they share the same vision.
By enhancing the capacity and confidence of parents and caregivers, as well as providing resources for children to thrive, we all contribute to strengthen families and communities as a whole.
Family Support Services offered at KIS
360° Supports for Parents with young children
KIS Early Years Parenting Support Program is designed to meet the unique and challenging
needs of each family whose child is attending our Childminding program while accessing KIS
services.
Through the agency qualified Childminding team and the support of KIS En Route Program
Navigator, four main activities are designed to address commonly observed presenting needs of
immigrant and refugee parents; attachment and bonding issues, difficulty to trust, difficulty to
be emotionally available due to past trauma. Some parents have never been exposed to early
childhood programs before and it is very stressful for them to leave their child in our care.
The program fosters parental involvement in their child’s life through education and
engagement where the parents feel emotionally supported and feel that the program is
applicable to their lives, as it provides knowledge and skills to thrive in their new context while
their cultural needs are accommodated.
The importance of guiding and supporting newcomer parents and their children is highly
important in preparation for transition into the school system and we have the opportunity at
KIS to offer this support.
KIS Community Connections
Our program offers two series intended to respond specifically to families: “Life in Kamloops” and
“Healthy Lifestyle”.
Each series schedules weekly activities for adults, youth and seniors. The activities are hosted at the
agency, in Kamloops, and throughout the region, and are facilitated by volunteers, partnering
organizations and KIS staff.
Our “Healthy Lifestyle” series features: Family yoga, traditional Indigenous medicine, animal therapy, a Women’s Art Circle, meditation and mindfulness, cooking, food processing, recycling, hiking, camping, fishing, snowshoeing, gardening, drop-in soccer, healthy relationships, parenting, home safety, energy saving, and facts about gambling.
Our “Life in Kamloops” series features: visits to or participation in the Kamloops Farmer’s Markets, the
Kamloops Powwow, the Thompson Rivers University Intercultural Celebration, the Pride Parade, the
Canada Day Celebration, the Diversity Walk, the Kamloops Museum and Archives, the Secwepemc
Museum and Heritage Park, Hat Creek Ranch, monthly potlucks, local exhibitions, multicultural
celebrations and festivals, family game nights, and wilderness safety workshops.
An average of 4 activities each week are offered during the day and evenings, and occasionally on
weekends.
Resources
Interior Community Services (ICS) is a non-profit accredited multi service agency providing supported programming to people of all ages.
Stay healthy at the YMCA
With diverse services, the Boys & Girls Club offers 25 different programs, including 2 for daycare.