United Way builds on Community Schools Partnership with LMOST

Sometimes it’s tough to be a kid, especially when your parent’s are struggling to make ends meet. They can be too busy working or too tired to take care of you. In some Lower Mainland neighbourhoods, and especially in single parent households, up to 50% of kids live in low-income situations. This affects their health and ability to take part in quality after school care and programming. And out of school hours are a critical time in a child’s life. Kids who spend three or more hours alone a day show an increased risk of drug and alcohol use, higher stress, anger, depression and behaviour problems, lower self-esteem and lower academic achievement. United Way plays a leading role in our community when it comes to nurturing at-risk children at school, at home and the times in between. That is why we are proud to be the major funder of the LMOST Alliance (Lower Mainland Out-of-School Time Alliance) – www.lmost.org – an initiative that works to promote awareness and importance of quality out of school time programs across the Lower Mainland. Quality after school programs do more than just provide children with a safe place to go. Children are able to experience new opportunities, overcome barriers, build positive relationships and develop confidence and skills for life. United Way has worked for more than a decade to identify the issues and challenges facing kids in middle childhood. We have invested in advocacy for children of this age and built partnerships to help us address the needs of children and the communities in which they live. We also work to strengthen and expand existing community services aimed at this age group. Long term positive social change for children in their middle years is occurring across the Lower Mainland thanks to United Way’s dedicated vision to help children in this age group. The LMOST Alliance grew out of United Way’s Community Schools Partnership and includes Burnaby, Delta, New Westminster, Surrey, the Tri-Cities and Vancouver School Districts and the Ministry of Education. Having established the Community Schools Partnership and solidified our relationship with School Districts and the province of British Columbia, we are now strengthening and expanding existing community services aimed at this age group through the LMOST Alliance. The Alliance is led by long-time friend to kids and United Way alike, Dan Marriott. Dan is a former Principal at Hastings Elementary School and United Way Excellence in Action for Middle Childhood in 2009. In addition, Dan served as the Vancouver School Board’s Community School Teams Coordinator leading the City’s development of new community school hubs.