Many Vancouver students look forward to spending their winter break at home or on vacation with their family. But thanks to the KidSafe Project Society, some of Vancouver's most vulnerable students will get the care and attention they require during the winter break by attending school.

The KidSafe Project Society, in partnership with the Vancouver School Board, keeps schools open during the holiday break to provide safe havens, nutritious meals and entertaining, educational programming for 350 elementary students. Without KidSafe, these students may not have the continuity of care they require throughout the winter break.

When Vancouver schools are closed from December 20-31, students will attend the KidSafe programs at Queen Alexandra, Admiral Seymour, MacDonald, Grandview, Florence Nightingale, and Mount Pleasant elementary schools.

Ron Bergeron, District Principal for Inner City Schools said "The holiday season can add additional stress for many of our families and KidSafe offers the continuation of a safe and caring environment. Kids need to know that we are there for them."

With the support of the Vancouver School Board, corporations, foundations and individual donors, KidSafe is able to provide social, arts, recreation, and leadership programming for children in need throughout the year, including winter and summer break periods when schools are traditionally closed.

Gerhard Maynard, the Executive Director of the KidSafe Society notes "It's about giving every child the chance they deserve to become a healthy, contributing member of our society.  All children deserve to grow up in a safe, supportive environment where they feel cared for and have opportunities to learn and grow. KidSafe is about providing our most vulnerable children with those opportunities." 

Kristi Rintoul, Coordinator of the KidSafe Program remarks that the holiday time can be a particularly hard time for families. "Children have been filling the office on a daily basis asking when KidSafe holiday break programs start," she said. "The experience clearly means a lot to them and to their families. Our partnership with the Vancouver School Board through the community schools initiative over the last seventeen years has been key to offering experiences like this to children. We rely on the continued generosity of our community to support the programs that our families depend on."

For more information on the KidSafe Project Society, go to www.kidsafe.ca

To donate to KidSafe please contact:

The KidSafe Project Society
c/o Queen Alexandra School
1300 East Broadway
Vancouver, BC

604-713-4467