Happy kids mean happy families, and that’s why the B.C. government has provided $1.49 million to the Canadian Mental Health Association BC Division (CMHABC) to support the ‘Confident Parents: Thriving Kids’ program, which helps parents address behavioural problems in kids aged three to 12.

This year, more than 640,000 B.C. kids are looking forward to their summer break.

The Province and partners collectively will be investing more than $7.5 million to support youth who are at risk of substance-use and mental-health concerns with the launch of a new, Integrated Youth Services Initiative.

Enhancements to a youth-driven website, more funding for post-secondary education and more funding for programs that help with life skills/employability – these are in the spotlight during B.C. Child and Youth in Care Week as government focuses on giving young people from care a leg up in their transition to adulthood and independence.

Sometimes the hardest roads lead to renewed purpose — a statement that sums up the attitude of Shaikh Hussain, a witty and self-aware former youth in care who came to Surrey from Mumbai, India when he was nine years old.

“My past does not define me. It never has, and it never will.”

The Ministry of Children and Family Development’s latest report on the placement of children and youth in hotels shows that policy and practice directives are being followed. Due to enhanced reporting and monitoring, the report includes more detailed information than ever before on the reasons for each hotel placement.

Families in 30 B.C. communities will soon benefit from 1,818 new licensed child-care spaces, thanks to a nearly $11.3-million investment from the Province through the Child Care Major Capital Funding Program, announced Minister of Children and Family Development Stephanie Cadieux from the BC Institute of Technology (BCIT) Student Association Child Care Centre.

Need help finding child care? British Columbia families can now access a new, improved online map that takes the guesswork out of searching for child care.