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Single Parent Centre
Page last updated February 23, 2005
3 Sylvia Avenue
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3R 1J7
Tel: (902) 479-3031 Single Parent Centre
(902) 479-0508 Doula Program or Prenatal Program
(902) 479-3855 Support to New Mothers and Their Infants Program
Fax: (902) 477-2257
Programs & Services offered at Single Parent Centre
(Click for a complete listing)
Hours of Operation: Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday 9:00am - 4:00pm, Wednesday 1:00pm - 8:00pm
closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Setting: The Single Parent Centre is located in Mainland South near 250 units of public housing and not far away from several
housing developments, apartment buildings and a trailer court.
Established: 1980
Clientele: All families are welcome at the Single Parent Centre. A special emphasis is placed on supporting parents through pregnancy, infancy
and the early childhood years. Many of our families live in the Mainland South community and HRM.
Are user fees charged? All services are free of charge. The only exception is a sliding scale fee for parent massage,
which is offered by certified massage therapists at the Centre.
Any eligibility requirements? No
Major Funder: Department of Community Services
Other Funders: Public Health Agency of Canada (CPNP), United Way, Doula Program funding partners include IWK and
Capital District Health Authority, donations, grants
Annual Operating Budget (range): $150,000-$199,999
Best Practices:
- Volunteer Doula Program which trains volunteers to give individual support to women before, during and after childbirth. The
doula's overall role is to support choices for a healthy pregnancy, to help inform about birthing options and prepare a birth plan, to
provide continuous non-medical labour support and to help a new mother feel competent about caring for her baby. In this respect, the Program
is designed to offer women preparation and support to have a positive birthing experience. As a result, women receiving support through their
labour and delivery have far fewer medical interventions and feel more confident in their early parenting
- Parent-Child Mother Goose is a national program focusing on parents interacting with their children by using rhyme, rhythm and
repetition and helps children to develop early language and communication skills
- Prenatal Program - In addition to delivering "traditional" prenatal education, the curriculum also covers topics tailored to meet
the specific needs of our target group (e.g., single mothers, poor, teenage youth). These areas include nutrition, drugs and alcohol, fetal
risks, birth control, relationships, STIs, legal issues and rights of the mother, social and community services, developing a support network
and other topics not directly related to pregnancy. The Prenatal Program also provides make-up instruction, crash courses and on-going individual
support and advocacy
- Support to New Mothers and Their Infants provides hands on in-home support and in-centre support for mothers along with referrals
and advocacy as needed. The goals of the program are to increase new mother's feelings of competency and satisfaction in parenting, reduce the
number of stresses on new mothers, help mothers make the links needed in their immediate community, and help improve the postnatal health of
new mothers and infants. The program involves providing support through home visits, breastfeeding support, baby care and infant massage and
community resource referrals and advocacy
Future Program Development: We continue to remain responsive and flexible to families in the Mainland South community
and our programs and services are continuously in flux to address their needs.
Additional Information: The Single Parent Centre is one of two facilities operated by the Home of the Guardian
Angel. Our doors were originally opened in 1980 to respond to the increasing number of young single mothers in need of basic community
support. Over the years, our programs and services have evolved to address the changing needs of the community. Today, we are able to
provide a continuum of support for all families and their children with a particular emphasis on supporting parents with children 0-6 years of age.
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