The Get Ready for School program was offered in 16 sites across Waterloo Region, and served a total of 318 children. A total of 90 children in the program did not speak English on a regular basis at home, with an additional children children who spoke English as well as a second language at home. The program was supported by 39 paid instructors, and 34 volunteers, who gave approximately 940 hours of volunteer time to the program.
When we moved to Canada (from Budapest) over 3 years ago, it was only supposed to be for a couple of years. Napsi was only 9 months old and at that time, I’d only ever conversed with her in Hungarian. However, after coming to Canada, I began talking to her in English, unaware of the consequences of switching the language would have.
Every child is unique and special. When they are young, they are just like sponges soaking up all the lessons we can teach them. Building a strong foundation for learning really does start from birth. The gift of reading is such a powerful tool.
Letters, Sounds and Words Program Summary Overall 94% of the children made considerable, excellent or outstanding gains. Enrollment 3,903 children were enrolled in the fall and spring rounds. The program is designed as a 10-week … Continued
Originally published in the St. Thomas Times Journal Article and photo by Louis Pin Joey Robinson sat in the library at Forest Park Public School in St. Thomas, matching sounds to letters in a game … Continued
I have my preschooler registered for the Get Ready for School program and I want to THANK YOU for bring such a wonderful program to our neighbourhood. My son’s first steps in the world of learning are just amazing. The program is only 7-8 weeks in and he already knows so many amazing things like syllable clapping, big/small, same/different, phonics for 6 letters and much more.
I would like to share my extreme satisfaction with being involved with the Letters, Sounds and Words program for the past five years. The first time I read about this program through our school board’s email, I knew it was what we needed at our school to help our young struggling students.
Through the Get Ready for School program, my son Nathan has learned to identify letters and sounds, and his vocabulary skills have improved tremendously! He is more independent when it comes to getting dressed and is even willing to ‘clean up’ after every activity at home.
The first step in helping a child learn to read is to boost their confidence. In this video, Linda Maryniuk, Staff Site Co-ordinator shares her experiences with the Letters, Sounds and Words program at her school.
Jane Baxter, school secretary shares her perspective on the Letters, Sounds and Words program and how easy it is to support. “As secretary of the school, there is no extra work for Strong Start.”
