The Strong Start® project was created to make a contribution to the community’s efforts to ensure that all young children learn to read. Over time, we hope to develop and support several programs within the Strong Start® project. Some programs will involve working with children directly. Others will provide resources for parents to support them in their role of promoting strong literacy skills in their children. Our programs are intended for use in a variety of settings in the community.
Strong Start® personnel consult with others to ensure that programs developed are in keeping with the curriculum expectations and best practice initiatives of the Ontario Ministry of Education and the field of Early Childhood Education.
Programs are developed and researched in Waterloo Region. Once proven successful in both skill development and service delivery model, programs are offered to other areas of the province. Currently the Letters Sounds and Words program is being used in several other areas of the province.
Resources for Parents
Parents are the child’s first teachers and are instrumental throughout the child’s life in promoting strong literacy skills.
Strong Start® takes opportunities presented to it to provide ideas and resources for parents of children in our literacy programs (e.g. Letters, Sounds and Words and Get Ready for School) in order to support the them in their efforts at home to help their child learn to read.
- For parents of children in the Letters, Sounds and Words program, Strong Start® distributes a useful reference produced by the Ontario Government called “Read Every Day”.
- In our Get Ready for School program and at regular intervals throughout the program, opportunities are provided for parents to learn more about the program and how they can assist their children at home to reinforce the skills the children are learning. Regular newsletters are shared to keep parents informed. Learning tools are provided for the children to use at home to practice skills with their parents.
- The Baby Literacy Project focuses directly on efforts to encourage and support parents in engaging their infants in activities that lay the brain development groundwork for development of good language and literacy skills. The toolkit given to parents as part of this project will be a valuable resource for them in supporting their child at home.
