Resources

For a comprehensive listing of resources for pregnancy and child development up to age 3, refer to the Guide to Further Resource sections in:

• Baby’s Best Chance: Parents’ Handbook to Pregnancy and Baby Care and,
• Toddler’s First Steps: A Best Chance Guide to Parenting Your Six-Month to Three-Year-Old.

Children's health

• Early childhood development
• Children with Special Needs
• Dental Program Factsheet
• Healthy Kids Program

Children's care

• Child Care Subsidies information.
• Child Care Subsidy Estimator.
• Child Care Search Tool, you can search for child care facilities in B.C. by city, by postal code and by license category.

Violence and victim services

If violence happens, get help. If it is an emergency, call 911 or the operator and ask for the police. Crisis lines and transition houses in your community are listed under the Emergency tab found in the first portion of the TELUS phone book. (Note: In Vancouver, this information appears inside the front cover page.)

• 1-800-563-0808, toll free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• access for hearing impaired: 604 875-0885
• VictimLink website

Lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transexual resources

Prideline B.C. offers one-to-one support, and information about services and resources around the province.

• Lower Mainland
  604-684-6869, , 7 days a week, 7 a.m.-10 p.m.
• Outside Lower Mainland
  1-800-566-1170, toll-free, 7 days a week, 7 a.m.-10 p.m.

Health resources

• Medical Services Plan premium assistance
• The BC HealthGuide OnLine provides information on common health topics, tests, procedures and other resources. This service is available to B.C. and Yukon residents only. To log on, you will need your postal code.
• The BC NurseLine offers health information and advice through a toll-free telephone line (1-866-215-4700). A registered nurse is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or you can talk to a pharmacist from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m., 7 days a week. The service is also available for those who are deaf or hearing impaired. Translation services are available in 130 languages.
• BC HealthFiles provide information on a wide range of health and safety related subjects. For ease of use, files are listed alphabetically.
• BCHealthFile translations in Chinese, Punjabi, Spanish, Portugese, Vietnamese and French are also available.

First aid

• Canadian Red Cross Society
  contact your local branch of the Red Cross listed in the white pages of your telephone book, call toll-free 1-888-307-7997 or check their website under First Aid Services.
• St. John Ambulance
  offers programs in first aid, CPR and childcare. You can find the number for your local branch of St. John Ambulance in the white pages of the telephone directory, in the yellow pages under First Aid Services, or on their website under Contact Us.