Last weekend, 18 early childhood educators, caregivers as well as a kindergarten teacher, took the first of a two-part training session in bullying prevention for children aged two and a half to five years of age. This program will now be taught to children all over Bowen Island thanks to the generosity of the Bowen Island Municipality (Fall Grant-In-Aid) and the Bowen Children's Centre who hosted the event.
Safe Spaces, developed by Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre and used all over British Columbia, fosters anti-bias, anti-racist curriculum and encourages the development of pro social behaviors in young children. Learning empathy, emotional literacy and problem solving at a young age can reduce the emergence of bullying behaviors that may manifest in some older children. The Safe Spaces Program will help children to develop skills that lead to:
Positive self-esteem
Empathy for others
The ability to think critically
To take action when witnessing unfairness and bias
The board of the Bowen Children's Centre, realizing the importance of having Safe Spaces offered to all children on the island, partnered with the municipality and covered the balance of the cost of offering this as a complimentary training for all educators of young children working on Bowen.
So, thank you, Bowen Island Municipality, Bowen Children's Centre and all the Bowen Island teachers and caregivers who came to the workshop.
I applaud you.
For more information on the Safe Spaces program, contact Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre www.wstcoast.org.
ANN SILBERMAN
Bowen Children's Centre
