Funding shortfall forces national charity to end operations

Invest in Kids
News Release

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It is with great sadness that Invest in Kids announces that it will be winding down its operations effective September 30, 2010. The organization, which has been struggling since the economic downturn of 2008 has determined that it can no longer continue operations.

The team at Invest in Kids and the Board of Directors very much regret this decision. The organization has achieved great things over the course of its history, including the development of Comfort, Play & Teach: A Positive Approach to Parenting, The Parenting Partnership, The Welcome to Parenting Boxes, and a wide range of training and resources for parents and professionals who support them.

The decision to cease operations stands in stark contrast to the importance of the work Invest in Kids has been doing on behalf of parents. "We know that parents are the most important channel to support healthy childhood outcomes," says Board Chair Michael Edwards, "And we
know all parents want to do a good job, but they feel unsupported and struggle with the knowledge and skills to be effective. With Invest in Kids' departure from the national scene Canadian parents are left with a great void - there are now no champions for this important social issue."

"It is a real tragedy that positive parenting is not on the investment agenda of governments, businesses and individuals in a meaningful way," laments the leadership team of Susan Smith, Lisa McKeen and Kara Holm.

"We have been researching organizations that are working in this space and have found a number of small, under-funded organizations. The Centre for Early Child Development recently announced its closure due to lack
of funding. We need to make investments in prevention, interventions are necessary of course, but we need to be looking at how to make smarter investments in our future."

Invest in Kids is working now to make its intellectual property assets available to a variety of local and national non-profits and government organizations so that our legacy will live on. Imagination Library will continue to operate in Canada. A permanent home is being sought for the new parent portal, www.parents2parents.ca.

"We are hopeful that this is not the end for our work, but the beginning of a focused discussion on why parenting matters in Canada. We hope others will build on the great work of Invest in Kids," says the leadership team. "And we hope that there will be a hard look at how we fund the vital work of organizations in the non-profit sector in the future. There is a real challenge in Canada that we need to address."

Invest in Kids thanks its many donors and supporters over the past 15 years for their investments in our important work.

Invest in Kids is a national charity dedicated to transforming the way Canadian parents are educated and supported. Our vision is a country where all parents are the parents they dream of being, all children reach their full potential and parents and children are valued and supported in the communities in which they live and work.

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