Meeting the needs of children, parents, and communities is our primary goal.

We put children first; our primary focus is the well-being, health, and development of children aged 0 - 12 years. The needs of families and communities are assessed, in part, through consultation with Community Committees, before new programs are initiated.

The Coalition wants to make a difference for families in and out of the home. The whole family, including fathers and caregivers, are encouraged to become involved in the coalition. We strive to ensure that programs are equally accessible to all.

The following programs are available to participants within our partner communities:

Basic Shelf is an eight-week program that demonstrates that it is possible cook nutritional meals at a low cost. There is a Basic Shelf cookbook, and almost all the recipes can be made from the same 36 ingredients (known as the basic shelf).

At each session, there is a facilitated discussion around such topics as food storage, how eating affects the way we feel, problems faced in feeding children, etc. Parents get together to cook recipes from the cookbook and then, as a group, enjoy their meal.

Some groups have children on site during the program, and parents and children eat the meals together. This also gives parents an indication of whether or not children will enjoy the new recipe at home. Many participants prefer this program more than Community Kitchens, as it requires less planning and meeting time.

Every month, the Brighter Futures Birthday Club acknowledges children's birthdays with a birthday card from the Coalition. Several communities also celebrate all children's birthdays at the community level: this event is organized and run by the parents.

Another way of promoting the love of books and reading is through the Book of the Month Club. Every month, one child's name is drawn at random, and the child is sent a book which is appropriate to their age and developmental level. Books for Babies - This program provides quality children's books and literacy information to parents of new babies after they arrive home from the hospital.

Referrals are made by doctors or the Public Health Nurse. The packages were developed by the Humber Literacy Group, and the program is run by parent volunteers and the Healthy Baby Club.

The children receive a book on their first, second, third and fourth birthdays.

The Healthy Baby Club holds a Breastfeeding Support Group for all breastfeeding participants of the Healthy Baby Club.

A Community Health Nurse is present at each meeting to support the breastfeeding mothers and weigh the babies on request.

Moms may bring their support person to the meetings if desired. A healthy snack is also served for the moms. Transportation is provided if required.

This program promotes literacy and provides positive role models for families. Parents bring their children to the Reading Circle to be read to by well- known people. Families are more likely to read together as a result of seeing someone they recognize reading to a group.

The public's awareness of the Coalition and literacy issues are further enhanced as a result of this program.

At each partner site, the Coalition has formed steering committees. Each Community Committee is comprised of parents participating in Brighter Futures programs, the site manager or supervisor, Brighter Futures staff, and most have community resource people.

The Community Committee meets monthly and acts as a liaison between the community and the Brighter Futures Coalition. Committee members identify community needs, provide input into program development, and address issues such as boundaries, program space, and outreach needs.

The Brighter Futures Program Coordinators attend all meetings and use the Committee's suggestions for direction regarding activities in each specific community.

This community-based program brings families together once or twice a month to cook healthy, low-cost meals for all members of the family.

The families plan, shop for, and cook a variety of meals using food staples and fresh produce. Each family member contributes $2.00 towards the cost of the food. Brighter Futures provides the food staples and cookware, and the group engages a sponsor to cover the remaining costs.

This is a six-session, drop-off program for children aged three or over. The program provides children a comfortable environment in which to learn the basics of cooking simple, and healthy foods.

Children learn about measurements, various foods, kitchen safety, sanitation, cooking and working as a group. Parents receive information about healthy cooking, recipes, and ideas for low cost foods for young children.

The Healthy Baby Club is funded through the Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP), and operates out of Buckmaster's Circle Community Centre, Bell Island Brighter Futures, Rabbittown Community Centre , Macmorran Community Centre , New Pennywell Road, Kenmount Park Community Centre, Virginia Park Community Centre, and the Y.M./Y.W.C.A.

The Healthy Baby Club is a flexible, continuous-entry program that provides nurturing and guidance to pregnant mothers. The pregnant mother is supported by a volunteer Resource Mother who guides her throughout her pregnancy, a Public Health Nurse who works within the community, a Nutritionist from Health & Community Services, and the Community Centre or site.

An individualized nutritional assessment is completed, and the pregnant mother receives a weekly food supplement of 7 litres of milk, a dozen eggs and a dozen oranges. Cooking sessions, hospital tours, pregnancy support, and Breastfeeding Support are also part of Healthy Baby Club.

This program is designed to meet the needs of children ages 0-24 months. The goal of the program is to offer a non-threatening, safe play environment for a parent(s) and their young children. At the program, parents can socialize, learn more about child development, create nutritious meals for themselves and their babies and bring questions to the group.

The program can be offered as a drop-in playgroup for baby and caregiver, or as a pre-registered group for small groups of babies and caregivers.

Parents of babies and young children learn to use play and oral language (rhymes, stories and songs, non-print materials) as a way to strengthen their relationships and to boost the children's pre-literacy skills.

The program builds on parents' strengths, is enjoyable for both parents and children and makes a lasting impact on the style of family interactions. This program is offered at various locations within the city.

This six-session, drop-off program is designed for children aged three years and older. Opportunities are provided to practise balancing, eye-hand coordination, gross motor movement, and to create spatial and tactile awareness.

It's a great way for children to stay physically fit! Parents are provided with resources that stress the importance of fitness, activity, and health in children.

Each quarter, the Coalition produces a Newsletter, Brighter News, to update all participants on the activities offered throughout the district.

Parents and partners from each site have an opportunity to submit articles for each newsletter. The writer of the Newsletter is a volunteer. The newsletter is distributed quarterly to all Coalition sites, and extra copies may be obtained from the main office at 685 Water Street.

In addition to receiving valuable information, this program also affords parents an opportunity to get together and talk about parenting issues.

This program is the core program of the Coalition. Parents and children from birth to age six can join a playgroup in their community.

The playgroups involve both parents and children in a variety of activities such as age appropriate play based activities, games, creative art, outings, and special events.

Children learn through making choices and interacting with others and their environment. Healthy, nutritious snacks are prepared each session. Transportation to the program can be provided.

The Parent Club provides parents of children 0 - 12 years with an opportunity to get together and socialize. The program is unstructured and allows parents to engage in activities that meet their needs and suit their interests.

The program is offered in individual sites. Activities range from a game of cards to inviting guest speakers to talk on a wide range of topics. A small snack is provided at each program.

Each month, parents decide on topics/issues they wish to address. This group is sometimes combined with the Parent Club.

The parent training programs provide parents with opportunities to learn information and new skills on a variety of topics. The training is offered either centrally, or at individual sites. We ask for input from parents as to the training topics.

Such topics include, but are not limited to: Guiding Children's Behaviour, Stress and Time Management, Marriage Enrichment, Dealing with Anger and Guilt, Developing Capable People. We also offer training for the community committees and the Coalition Board.

This literacy program, Parents Roles Interacting with Teacher Support, was developed by Dr. Bill Fagan, professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

The Brighter Futures Coalition, in partnership with Dr. Fagan, is one of the sponsoring agencies of the P.R.I.N.T.S program. Facilitators are trained to run the program for parents of 0 - 12 year old children.

Through this program, parents build on the activities they are already doing with their children to promote literacy. The five main focuses of the program are: Oral Language; Play; Scribbling, Drawing and Writing; Environmental Print; and Books and Book Sharing.

Volunteers enrich our programs and services by offering their skills and knowledge in a variety of ways. Brighter Futures is always interested in recruiting new people who may be interested in lending their time and knowledge.

There are various duties with varying levels of responsibilities. All new volunteers must go through a screening process and an orientation. Our volunteers are always appreciated for their time, services and kindness.

A parenting program designed for children between the ages of 2 and 5 years. This program invites parents/caregivers to interact with their young child through meaningful everyday activities.

The building blocks to a child's understanding of basic learning concepts are introduced from everyday activities at home. This program emphasizes the importance of encouragement and praise, no matter how small the task.

Communicate and interact together. An important outcome of all activities introduced will be that the child is provided time to explore, investigate and experience his/her world. This program stresses the importance of play in a child's development and promotes meaningful learning through fun activities.

A literacy program which provides reading materials for the whole family. Books are brought to the community bi-weekly by a facilitator and we help to pick out interesting and age appropriate books.

These families can borrow high-quality reading materials free of charge. Everyone gets the chance for exposure to new print materials, and there is increased parent- child interactions through reading together. The end result of this program is for everyone to become better readers.

This program is designed to meet the needs of people who wish to improve their literary skills by using parenting issues and material.

This is not a "how to " course; rather it provides options which learners may explore that will develop and strengthen literacy and parenting skills.

It provides support for parenting, community building, empowerment, alternatives to TV, ideas on safe places for children, as well as learning reading and writing. The parents are active participants in the learning reading and writing.