For families looking for a fun day or a way to get connected with community services, the Early Years Healthy Start Fair is a good place to start.
The free fairs, featuring activities for children and information for parents, are presented by the Greater Nanaimo Early Years Partnership a few times a year, and there is one this month on Gabriola Island and another later this fall in Nanaimo.
“We do it at different locations throughout greater Nanaimo at different times of the day, different days of the week. We’re trying to reach all the families in Nanaimo,” said Amber Bruner, Children First Early Years community coordinator. “When they come to the fair, they can expect to connect with service providers and a lot of family resources that are in Nanaimo.”
The fairs are intended for families with children aged 0-6. This month’s fair is slated to include information about pregnancy supports, public health, vision screening and more, with face painting, games and giveaways.
“[This] will be our 10th fair that we’ve hosted and we’re still finding over half the families haven’t heard about the fair or at least one of the resources that is at the fair,” said Bruner. “There is a wealth of information and the service providers that are at the fairs are always changing as well, so there’s always something new.”
The Early Years Healthy Start Fair will be held Tuesday, Sept. 25, from noon-3 p.m. at the HOPE Centre at 790 North Rd., Gabriola Island.
Another fair will be Nov. 20, from 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club of Central Vancouver Island at 20 Fifth St., Nanaimo.
For more information, visit www.nanaimoearlyyears.org.