Family Matters

Connecting with English-speaking parents of young children in the Quebec City area 

The past several months have been tough on everyone, including families. The physical distancing due to COVID-19 has changed our relationships, our roles, and our routines in terms of child care, school and play time.

We are officially green though now, so hooray!  What does this mean for you and your family? It means that you are allowed to have indoor and outdoor gatherings but with certain restrictions. Check out the current measures in force to see what is permitted in a green zone.

EPIQ is also shifting to green with in-person activities

To celebrate the recent shift to green and to get back into the swing of things, EPIQ will return to in-person events in 2021-'22. Woot, woot!  EPIQ, or English-speaking Parents in Québec, will hold a Planning Party in August, which will also be our first in-person event of 2021, and YOU are invited!  

Help plan EPIQ's coming year! Register soon because space is limited to 10 parents!  For more details, read on...

Water safety and keeping your children safe

Did you know that children can drown very quickly and quietly, and in just a few centimetres of water? Also, children ages 1 to 4 are most at risk of drowning in pools at home.

The summer has only just begun and there have already been already several tragic deaths water-related deaths that very likely could have been prevented. Tips to help keep your family safe around water this summer.

Heading outdoors?  Remember to protect yourself from ticks and mosquitoes! 
 
The best way to protect yourself from Lyme disease is to prevent tick bites, same as the best way to avoid becoming infected with West Nile virus is to prevent mosquito bites. Getting rid of tick and mosquito habitats near your home will help reduce the risk of contracting these diseases. Read on for ways to protect yourself and your children from ticks and mosquitoes.

Carbon Monoxide in the home

Did you know that smoke or carbon monoxide alarms that are not certified by Canadian standards can pose a health or safety risk? When purchasing smoke or carbon monoxide alarms online or in-store, look for a Canadian certification mark. See these marks and get life-saving advice on carbon monoxide alarms. 

Please take our 4-minute survey!

Have you ever considered becoming a transportation volunteer at the Wellness Centre (the WE) to drive our clients in need, mostly seniors, to their important medical appointments? Requests for our volunteer transport service have increased by 280% since last year, and we are short of drivers!

If you’ve ever thought about helping with transportation but then never signed up, what held you back? We’d love to hear from you. Your input will help us develop strategies to tackle our ongoing challenge to recruit drivers. Please take our 4-minute and confidential survey before Monday, July 19th. It’s private and there is no pressure to commit!

Also, feel free to check out our recent article COVID-19 Worsens Shortage of Community Transportation Volunteers in the Québec Chronicle Telegraph (QCT). 

For more information, please email Jessica at jprice@jhpartners.net or visit wejh.ca/transportation.

Virtual workshops and activities

• Morrin Centre Virtual Book Quest activities are back from July 3-August 28. Themes include: 
  • Ages 3-7, Story time, games, and crafts.
  • Ages 8-12, S.T.E.M., arts and more.
• Bibliothèque de Québec, Family story time (Conte en famille) in various languages: Arabic, Spanish, French

Things to do with your family 

• EPIQ Park Gathering - August 7
• EPIQ Planning Party- August 18
• EPIQ: Getting Through it Together - Weekly on Thursday evenings
• Library reopening at the Morrin Centre - Reservations required
• VEQ Daytrip for Newcomers to the Jacques Cartier National Park - July 31
• VEQ Newcomers' Walking Tour of Old Québec - August 21
• VEQ Sunset Ferry Ride for Newcomers to Quai Paquet - August 26
• Club de lecture d'été TD, Bibliothèque de Québec, summer reading club, June 25-August 13
• Ressource espace familles summer programming
• Entraide parent summer programming
• Children's rallies: Les p'tits rendez-vous d'histoire for families of kids age 4-10
• Berry Picking sites.  This website lists many different farms in the area and what fruits and/or vegetables you can pick there.  They also list if the farm has a playground or mini animal farm! 

Some great resources

• Independent play. A great article from Active for Life
• Help children learn to recognize their emotions with these great tools from HSF. Scroll down for versions in English! 
• Webinar on Promoting the Power of Play from Families Canada and National Family Support Network
• Outdoor Play from the Encyclopedia of Early Child Development
• Sexplique, educational reference on sexual health
• Paid study on pregnant women from the INSPQ.  See if you qualify.  In French. 
• Downloadable resources in English from Naitre et Grandir. 
• Parenting during COVID-19 - Great resources from Triple P
• Nobody's Perfect tip sheets for parents

Great sources of information

• From Tiny Tot to Toddler Guide
• Health Canada's: Your Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy
• Government of Canada's: Safe Sleep for Your Baby Brochure
• Government of Canada's: 10 Great Reasons to Breastfeed your Baby
• Government of Canada's document on: COVID-19: Pregnancy, childbirth and caring for a newborn during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Government of Canada's document on: Parenting during COVID-19

• 2-1-1 Information Service
• 8-1-1 Health Info
• Jeffery Hale Community Services
• Amiquebec Action on Mental Illness
• Éducaloi: Your Starting Point for Legal Information
• HemaQuébec: Public Mothers' Milk Bank
• From Tiny Tot to Toddler Guide
• Parents Matter
• Nobody's Perfect Parenting tips
• Triple P Positive Parenting Programs

• FORT Employability Program
• Ludothèque Ste-Foy Toy Library
• Morrin Centre
• Quebec Art Company
• Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph 
• Quebec City Reading Council
• Solidarité familles et sécurité routière
• Valcartier Military Family Resource Centre
• Voice of English-speaking Québec