Yesterday I drove from Vancouver to Nelson BC.  What an amazing province we live in!  From the mountain passes, to the clear lakes and rivers, to the beautiful valley as you enter Grand Forks; I drove in awe of the unique characteristics of every region.

Over the summer, I spent time talking with our Success By 6 Coordinators across the province, learning more about their regions and about the unique needs of their young children and families.

These calls reinforced for me, why the work being done by Success By 6 is so important.  Success By 6 allows communities to decide where to direct the funds they receive from our initiative.  Because what they need in Fort Nelson will be different from what they need in Vancouver or Grand Forks.

The Success By 6 model is unique. Typically, funding is quite prescribed, what we call a cookie cutter approach.  A funding stream will be announced and all communities that receive those funds are expected to use it in the same way. In contrast, the Success By 6 model brings together local Early Childhood Development Planning tables , and these tables direct the use of funds based on the unique and localized needs of their community. Local Early Childhood Development Planning tables consist of people from different sectors  (such as businesses, school districts, Aboriginal groups , healthcare providers, parents, and municipal governments, to name a few) that conduct research, identify priority needs for their young children, and then work to address those needs.

Success By 6 recognizes and supports the importance of community knowledge and individuality.  Hats off to the province of British Columbia, the United Ways of BC and the Credit Unions of BC for their vision in supporting our youngest citizens!!

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