Provincial funding for a non-profit group to support more vulnerable children and their families.

Bee Me Kidz is receiving $2.5 million from the provincial government over the next six years.

The group offers free educational and parental programs to elementary school-aged children and their families.

Derek O’Brien, superintendent of the Anglophone South School District, said the program is a huge benefit for the community.

“It is a program that certainly complements the curriculum of what we’re teaching in school with social and emotional learning,” O’Brien said in an interview.

Bee Me Kidz was launched in 2014 to empower and inspire children and their families to develop the social and emotional skills that will enable them to succeed in school and life.

It offers weekly programs in the community focusing on social and emotional skills, nutrition, parenting skills, and community connectedness.

The Saturday program includes a nutritious family brunch and healthy snacks, along with take-home snack bags for children, and a parental education component.

The goal is to help children and their families better engage in social activities, make and retain friendships, focus on school, show empathy, and contribute to their community.

Bee Me Kidz offers the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum through its partner schools during the week and during their Saturday program.

The partner schools include Centennial School, Prince Charles School, Seaside Park Elementary School, Glen Falls School, St. Stephen Elementary School, and Milltown Elementary School

O’Brien said one of the big impacts of the program has been bridging the gap between the home and the school.

“Some people are very nervous about going into schools so this really helps to be one of those additional mechanisms that helps the people in the building — the educators and other staff — to better connect with parents,” he said.

“We know that [parents] have a huge impact on the learning of their children so we want to find ways to bring them into school more often and to be able to share what’s going on in our schools.”

Bee Me Kidz programs are currently provided to about 1,600 children in the Saint John and St. Stephen areas, with plans to expand to Sussex in September.

Missy Bewick, the program’s executive director, said they are grateful for the government support to help more children in need.

“We know that Bee Me Kidz is making a difference in our province,” said Bewick.

You can learn more about Bee Me Kidz and its programs by clicking here.