Update On Campbell River State Of The Child Report

School District 72 getting an update on a recently released Campbell River State of the Child Report.

Brenda Wagman, coordinator for the Campbell River Family Network and Early Years Council, and Anne Boyd, a member of the Early Years Council and representative from CR Literacy Now, provided the board with an overview of the report this week, along with local statistics from the Campbell River Community Foundation’s Vital Signs of Campbell River report.

The pair say the foundation of education is rooted in early learning experiences and asked that young children’s early experiences and development before they start kindergarten be considered and included in the school district’s new strategic plan.

Wagman and Boyd say a number of specific challenges are facing the community; the pandemic’s longer-term impacts such as missing developmental screenings, social isolation, financial instability; the absence of childcare and early learning programs because of a lack of qualified early childhood educators, food insecurity; lack of affordable and safe housing; and the inequities and additional struggles faced by single parent families, which Campbell River has a high percentage of.

The Campbell River Family Network is a network of 24 service providers, agencies and organizations focused on the benefit of children ages 0-8 years old and their families.