Canada’s first province-wide online child-care registry was launched today by Family Services and Consumer Affairs Minister Gord Mackintosh and Healthy Living, Youth and Seniors Minister Jim Rondeau. ManitobaParentZone.ca website is a comprehensive, one-stop tool that helps make the world’s toughest job easier.
“No duty is as important or as tough as parenting and there are times when it seems that it’s only getting tougher,” said Mackintosh. “We created ManitobaParentZone.ca to be a one-stop shop for helping parents and we expanded the online child-care registry, making it available to parents province-wide.”
The online child-care registry makes it easier for families to find licensed child care in Manitoba by entering information about their child and their requirements in a single place, Mackintosh explained. Their names will be added to the wait list of as many child-care facilities as they have selected.
The online tool:
• allows parents to easily and quickly explore a variety of licensed child-care options in their area,
• allows parents to learn more about the child-care providers they are considering,
• helps parents keep track of all the child-care providers they have registered with,
• helps parents keep their contact information up to date, and
• allows licensed child-care centres, homes and nursery schools to see the most up-to-date list of children waiting for care so they can fill any openings.
The system is based on a model that has been used successfully in Sudbury, Ont. Extra features and functions have been specifically added to suit Manitobans. Soon to come will be an online route calculator to make it easy for parents to find licensed centres close to their work or school.
Parents can register online at www.manitoba.ca/onlinechildcareregistry, follow the link on ManitobaParentZone.ca or call 1-888-213-4754 (toll-free).
ManitobaParentZone.ca provides parenting and child development information that reflects best practices in health and child and adolescent development. It includes important links to Manitoba-based public education and public-health campaigns and provides this information in a straightforward way, Rondeau said.
ManitobaParentZone.ca offers:
• information about Manitoba-based programs, worldwide services and supports;
• more than 3,000 links to helpful and trusted sites that will provide parents with practical and reliable topics arranged by seven age categories and stages of parenting;
• links to the latest product recalls;
• “Ask the Expert” with Manitoba professionals answering questions for parents; and
• links to Twitter and Facebook for sharing via social media.
“This new website is an excellent complement to our Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) and other initiatives that put children and families first,” said Rondeau. “It’s one of many easy-to-use tools that we provide to help parents effectively manage children’s behaviour and create a loving and caring environment for their families.”
In addition to the online assistance, parents can get help by phone from the Positive Parenting Program by calling 1-877-945-4777 (toll-free). This summer, the Triple P line will expand its hours to serve parents 12 hours a day, Rondeau added.
ManitobaParentZone.ca covers parenting challenges such as breastfeeding and crying babies, bullying, chores, nutrition and parent-teen conflict. It provides a link to the province’s Triple P website for help with child behaviour and will evolve as new information becomes available and in response to suggestions from parents and professionals, Rondeau said.
The site highlights the work of well-known Manitoba cartoonist Lynn Johnston, whose For Better or Worse cartoon strip captures the funny, trying and bittersweet moments of family life.
“I am happy to have been able to contribute to ManitobaParentZone.ca,” said Johnston. “This new website is colourful, easy to navigate and a great resource for Manitoba parents. As a former resident of northern Manitoba, I am particularly pleased and honoured by Manitoba’s generous contribution to Frontier College’s Aboriginal Summer Literacy Camp. Enhanced literacy holds out the promise of enriched lives for children and parents, and prosperity for the entire community.”
ManitobaParentZone.ca will run on a $70,000 annual budget, with initial site development and marketing costs of $200,000. The province will contribute $5,000 a year for four years to the Frontier College Summer Literacy Program for Children in exchange for Johnston’s assistance.
The online registry is being launched at a cost of $1.575 million and will operate on an annual investment of $150,000.
