Programs
For 36 years, Kitsilano Neighbourhood House has been the hub of the Westside. It’s a place where all ages from birth to seniors come together to enjoy the following programs and services that make this area a good place to live and do business.
Childcare
Kitsilano Neighbourhood House Childcare
Licensed Childminding (Highbury and West 4th location) – part-time preschool readiness program staffed by early childhood educators for children eighteen months to four years of age, one or two mornings per week.
Kitsilano Neighbourhood House Community Preschool (Highbury & West 4th location) – designed for children between the ages of three to five years old, the program follows a family-centered, child play based philosophy.
Dunbar Kids Club: Kindercare and Out-of-School Care (Dunbar location) – following a child-oriented, play-based philosophy, this program serves children between the ages of five to twelve years old, attending one of the schools that we service in Dunbar.
Kitsilano Kids Club: Kindercare and Out-of-School Care – following a child-oriented, play-based philosophy, this program serves children between the ages of five to twelve years old, attending one of the schools that we service in Kitsilano.
Kitsilano Kids’ Club: Little Campers Program – five to seven year old little campers participate in a number of exciting summer activities, outdoor recreation, city tours, messy art projects, weekly themes, and age appropriate activities.
Westside ECD Network 4 Community Table – made up of organizations providing Early Childhood Development (ECD) related programs and who are interested in working together to build Westside capacity to provide high quality accessible ECD services.
Parent Advisory Committee – parents volunteer their time to provide input on the operation of each of our childcare programs.
Family
Parents / Caregivers & Tots Drop-In - for parents or caregivers and children from newborn to five years old. Activities include messy art activities, circle time, outdoor play, and hands-on child activity centres. Meet new friends, receive information, and support from our staff, and guest speakers.
Strengthening Connections Newcomer Parents & Tots Program (UBC partnership) – provides a multicultural resource program supporting health and development to newcomer families with children newborn to six years of age.
Mama & Papa Goose - ten-week program for babies from newborn to twelve months and parents. This one-hour weekly program helps support early literacy and parent-child bonding. Enjoy songs, rhymes, stories, and the chance to make new friends and have fun.
Nobody’s Perfect Parenting Workshop – a supportive program for parents of newborn to five year olds to help understand your child better, learn to cope with stress and share ideas, tips, and experiences.
Youth
Pre-teen Artistic Adventures Club – for preteens ages 8 to 12. Be creative, meet new friends, and have fun.
Youth Volunteer Skills Program – 10-week program emphasizes leadership, conflict resolution, resume building, interview skills, time/ stress management and lots more.
Youth Advisory Committee – youth ages 12 to 18 who are interested in sharing their voice, making things happen and gaining volunteer hours in the Kitsilano community make up this committee.
Youth Networking Table – Kits House provides leadership at this community development table, bringing together local community members, organizations, government, youth and youth allies to network, learn and collaborate on issues that are directly connected to youth 12 to 19 years of age.
Youth Bursary Program – Kits House provides two 250.00 bursary’s to high school youth who volunteer their time to make their community a vibrant and safe place where everyone thrives.
Seniors Programs
Osteofit – is a specially designed program to help seniors reach their fitness goals while respecting their limitations and expanding their possibilities. The program is designed and continually updated by healthcare professionals from BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre’s Osteoporosis Program.
Westside Seniors’ Links Program – brings together seniors in the community who need a hand around the house with students able to help for a reasonable hourly rate.
Seniors Peer Counselling Program – Provides free peer counseling and support to seniors who may be experiencing loneliness, depression and/or other challenges due to relocation, or bereavement. Our peer counselling volunteers listen, support and provide information to enable seniors to help themselves.
Westside Fall Prevention Network – The goal of the network is to educate seniors on Vancouver’s Westside about how to reduce falls and fall related injuries. Get Connected! Receive the Westside Seniors Fall Prevention newsletter.
Tuesday Seniors’ Drop-In – Delicious homemade soup and diverse activities, including musicians, speakers, discussions, and games.
Seniors Out Trips – Enjoy stimulating and affordable out trips to various locations with other seniors and Kits House staff. Transportation to and from Kits House is included in the cost of out trips.
Knitting Circle – Free. For many years, Kits House knitters have been knitting hats, scarves, socks, sweaters, mittens, and blankets for local shelters and the homeless. Now they have added knitting teddy bears in partnership with Kiwassa Neighbourhood House to ship to under-developed countries courtesy of the Rotary Club.
Steeves Manor Community Resource Centre Kits House operates an on-site Community Resource Centre, which offers programs for low-income and disabled people living in this BC Housing project .
Westside Seniors Empowerment Coalition – representing seniors living on Vancouver’s Westside, this is an umbrella group of individuals, community health providers, community organizations, churches, businesses, and agencies. The mandate is to promote healthy ageing through physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Seniors Advisory Committee – The committee works to identify the concerns of seniors in the community, create plans for action, and share wisdom and ideas for improving the wellness of seniors in our community
Building Welcoming Communities
Building Welcoming and Inclusive Neighbourhoods Project (BWIN) – this three year initiative explores the role of Neighbourhood Houses in building community capacity by encouraging inclusion and building on B.C.’s cultural diversity.
Growing Welcoming Communities’ Garden Collaborative – join friends, volunteers and organizations passionate about creating community through gardening.
Autumn Fair – join your neighbours, have fun, and celebrate the harvest at this annual fundraiser that brings the Westside together.
Information and Referral – Kits House provides information and referral services to all those who call, email or drop by.
Income Tax Clinic for low-income earners – Kits House provide free income tax clinics each spring.
UBC Law Students Legal Advice Program – free legal services for issues from criminal matters to social assistance for low-income people in the Lower Mainland.
Westside Food Security Collaboration – a collaborative made up of community members, health professionals, NGOs, City staff and faith based organizations, who are interested in addressing the issue of food security on the Westside of Vancouver.
Gamblers Anonymous – Kits House provides space for men and women to share their experiences and strengths with each other to solve their problems and help others to recover from a gambling problem.
Al-Anon – Kits House provides space for relatives and friends of alcoholics to come together to share their experiences, strengths, and hopes.
Single Mom’s Group – co-sponsored by the YWCA Vancouver, the group serves women of all ages, from all backgrounds. Childminding is provided.
Women’s Support Group – facilitated, confidential and free, this program provides women experiencing mental health difficulties with an opportunity to meet for support and companionship to increase awareness, information sharing, and personal enhancement.
Community Potluck Dinners – come and meet your neighbours at our monthly meatless community potlucks.
Lunchtime Meditation – join staff and community members to share some moments of stillness and reflection in the middle of your day.
Classes
T’ai Chi Ch’uan – this class introduces the popular Yang Style of Taijiquan, an internal art known for its graceful sequence of 108 postures. This style characterized by slow, continuous, and gentle movements is ideal for practitioners of all ages and abilities.
Karate – beginner to advanced: Butokukan Karate trains the body and the mind with a healthy exercise program for all fitness levels.
Tesshinkan Kobudo – is the study of traditional Okinawa weaponry such as the bo, sai, Tunfa, as well as other indigenous weapons from Okinawa.
Karate for Kids – these karate lessons for kids ages five to 12 will help build positive character traits.
