About us
We are a non-profit society dedicated to nurturing meaningful connections for all parents, caregivers, and children.
Our History
A dedicated group of parents officially incorporated Tri-City Family Place in July of 1991. It became the 17th Family Place in the Lower Mainland. Today, there are over 300 Family Places in BC (although they sometimes go by other names).
Over the years, family resource programs have evolved in unique ways to provide services to individual communities. Still, all centres recognise and encourage children’s social interaction through play and learning. Oftentimes, Family Place plays the role of the extended family by offering support, friendship and other resources to families.
In October 2003, we opened Tri-City Family Place: PoCo in partnership with WestCoast Family Centres and in March 2007 we became part of the Tri-Cities East Neighbourhood Centre.
Our facilities
We operate Family Resource Programs at two locations.
Victoria Hall (3435 Victoria Drive, Coquitlam), located at the base of Burke Mountain, is our main site. We occupy the lower floor of the hall. This location has a larger playroom and a more robust kitchen. This is also the site of our administrative office and our Resource and Toy Lending Library.
Tri-Cities East Neighbourhood Centre (2062 Manning Ave, Port Coquitlam), located across from Aggie Park in Port Coquitlam, is where we run Tri-City Family Place: Poco. Casually referred to as “Manning”, this location is smaller.
All of our playrooms are wheelchair accessible. We strive to ensure that Victoria Hall is both a nut-free and a scent-free facility. While we discourage nuts and fragrances at Tri-Cities East Neighbourhood Centre, we cannot make any guarantees as this location is a shared space. Washrooms are equipped with change tables.
We have gross motor skills equipment such as an indoor climbing frame, and fine motor skills equipment such as crafts, puzzles, and play dough.
We encourage creative/imaginary play in our dress-up centre, doll house, and kitchen area with food and dishes. We have trucks, trains, farms, building blocks, dinosaurs, and animals.
We also have toys designed for babies and toddlers, such as an exer-saucer and baby walker.
There is a children’s library as well as a variety of parent reading material. A daily newspaper is available for your reading pleasure.
Please note that not all equipment and activities are guaranteed to be available at all times. Periodically, items are rotated in and out of the playrooms for cleaning, repairs, or simply for diversity.
Our Mission Statement
Nurturing meaningful connections for all young children, parents, and caregivers.
Our STAFF
All our staff are qualified to answer most questions and can make a referral to another staff person or another community partner when appropriate. Please feel free to ask questions, request information, or discuss parenting matters with them.
Christine Kinney Ludlow is the Resource and Program Administrator. She has a diploma in Early Childhood Education, with a specialty in Infancy. She has been working in this field for over thirty years and lives within the community. Christine is directed by a volunteer Board of Directors for the overall operation of the centre. Her duties include administration, grant applications, purchasing, statistics and reporting.
Maryam Taheri works in our playroom. She has experience with Family Place in a variety of capacities. At different times, she has been a participant, a member of our Board of Directors, and a staff member. She speaks English and Farsi and she is a wonderful cook.
Alison Truelove works in our playroom. She has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and over ten years of experience in education. Her first experience with Family Place goes back to her infancy, when she sat in on board meetings at Richmond Family Place while her mom served on their Board of Directors. She speaks English, French, and Mandarin and her favourite activity is Circle Time.
Sarah Chettle works in our playroom. She has worked in the early childhood field for three decades and she has completed her Early Childhood Education Diploma. Sarah is the proud mom to a bunch of dogs, a horse, and two humans.
Playroom Rules
Tri-City Family Place offers a safe and welcoming environment for families to visit.
Sickness Policy: Please do not attend our programs if you or your child is sick. Children should stay home for 24 hours following fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. Children with unexplained rash should not attend programs until they have been cleared by a healthcare provider.
Party Policy: Unfortunately, we are not equipped to run birthday parties. If you would like to celebrate your child’s birthday during our drop in program, please speak to a staff member in advance.
Snack Policy: Parents/caregivers may bring snacks for their own children, but please do not share these snacks without parental consent. Please clean up immediately after your child finishes eating. We do not allow snacks containing nuts.
Supervision Policy: Parents and caregivers are responsible for the supervision of their child/children at all times. Staff are to verbally inform parents/ caregivers when supervision is required. An exception to this is when the safety of a child is threatened.
Suspension Policy: We are devoted to providing a comfortable environment that supports and enhances family and community life. In order to continue to provide a safe and comfortable environment, we ask that all families attending adhere to our policies. First, staff will verbally inform the caregiver that a policy is not being followed. If the situation is not resolved, the staff member may, at their discretion, ask the family to leave for either 1 day or 7 days.