We are ready to grow! By working through partnerships, we will reach more children in more communities.

Letters, Sounds and WordsTM program

What started as a grassroots community project in one school with handmade games and activities has grown into our flagship Letters, Sounds and WordsTM program, serving multiple communities in Ontario. Letters, Sounds and WordsTM is offered in partnership with school boards and schools, and is rooted in sound educational principles.

Our Letters, Sounds and WordsTM program targets children in Senior Kindergarten and Grade 1 who cannot read at the expected level. This program uses short games and activities to help young children recognize letters, a sound each letter represents, how to learn words by sight and how to learn a word using the sounds of its letters. Such children are identified for Strong Start by their teachers and matched with community volunteers trained by us, for one-on-one, in-school coaching sessions, two to three times per week, for a 10-week period.

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Get Ready for SchoolTM program

Our highly effective Get Ready for SchoolTM program was designed by Dr. Iuliana Baciu as she completed her PhD thesis at Wilfrid Laurier University. As a research-based, intervention program, Get Ready for SchoolTM is rooted in sound educational principles. Since piloting in 2 sites in 2011, Get Ready for SchoolTM has grown to serve hundreds of children each year in multiple community sites across Waterloo Region.

Get Ready for SchoolTM is an early intervention program that targets preschoolers in low socio-economic environments and/or who are learning English as a second language. The program helps children gain the necessary literacy and school readiness skills they need to have a successful entry into Junior Kindergarten. Children in the program attend 44, two-hour classes over the winter and spring before they enter Junior Kindergarten. This program is delivered by trained instructors and volunteers who work to provide children with meaningful learning experiences. The program also provides instruction and support for the children’s parents so they are better able to support their child’s learning at home.

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We welcome inquiries from potential partners and invite you to learn more about our organization and our programs. To discuss a partnership, please contact our Director of Program by phone or e-mail.