Kimberley Snapshot

Kimberley is located in the south eastern corner of British Columbia just north of the U.S. Border. The City population (6,484) enjoys views overlooking the fertile and beautiful Kootenay River Valley and the Rocky Mountains to the east. · Elevation 3,663 ft/1,110 m (Second highest city in Canada) · Population 6,484

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Who We are

The North Star Dream Team (NSDT) is a community planning committee dedicated to the support and advocacy of families living in and around Kimberley. Members include agency representatives and individuals from a broad cross section of disciplines – social service agencies, public health, resource and referral, mental health, literacy, early intervention, business, childcare. Parent representation from our community is vital to stay current and accurately represent families in our community.

What We Do

The primary role of the NSDT is to facilitate the coordination of family services and early childhood community development in Kimberley. We function as:

• the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Advisory Committee.
• the advisory committee for Community Action Program for Children (CAPC).
• the steering committee for Roots of Empathy program.
• a partner with School District #6 on the Ready, Set, Learn initiative.

In addition, the NSDT manages the Kimberley Early Learning Centre, located at 1850 Warren Avenue (access is through lower level). At the Early Learning Centre (ELC) you will find a variety of free family programs and services, as well as:

• Activities which encourage preschool children’s physical, social, emotional, language and cognitive development
• Opportunities to meet other pregnant or parenting families and discuss issues, share ideas and concerns
• Information about pregnancy, nutrition, parenting, child development, health, community resources, and school readiness
• Visitors such as the Dental Hygienist, or Public Health Nurse who share information and answer questions

Check out the Resources and Links sections for a schedule of all the FREE programs and services.

The NSDT works collaboratively with our members, partners and funders to develop and support early childhood programs which empower and strengthen families. The team has direct links to the East Kootenay Childhood Coalition, Children First and Success by Six, initiatives that work to improve child development outcomes. We use existing community strengths and assets to improve services and service delivery.

Our three year goals include:

1. Promote community awareness of family well-being.
2. Strengthen the NorthStar Dream Team by expanding the scope of community partnerships to ensure needs of families are being addressed.
3. Enrich supports and services for families and children.
4. Increase sustainability of a system of ECD service delivery in Kimberley.