Letters, Sounds and Words Program Summary Overall 94% of the children made considerable, excellent or outstanding gains. Enrollment 3,186 children were enrolled in the fall and spring rounds. The program is designed as a 10-week … Continued
Julia participated in the 2016 Get Ready for School program where she continued to fall in love with reading and learning. Today, Julia is doing great. She just finished reading 100 books over the summer. She was very excited to complete her 100 book challenge and can’t wait to show her teachers.
Oliver participated in our Letters, Sounds and Words program a few years back and had a wonderful experience. We followed up with his mother, Melanie Lee to see how Oliver is doing with his reading now and how school is going. Here is the continuation of Oliver’s story.
Susan Fitzgerald is the Site Co-ordinator of the Letters, Sounds and Words program at Sacred Heart C.E.S. In this video, she talks about how the program is simply helping children learn their letters, sounds and words in a fun and engaging way. “The children love to come. They love to work with their volunteers. They love the games. They leave the program feeling good about themselves and it is witnessed when I do the post-test.”
This is the tale of two sisters preparing for school in the Get Ready for School program. Chloe thrived in the program and was always excited to go. She made friends and connections with the teachers. Our other daughter, Georgia, is now in the Get Ready for SchoolTM program at Centerville Chicopee in Kitchener. She is also thriving. Georgia is clapping syllables, saying sounds, and reading books.
Karen Mitchell, Principal at Sacred Heart C.E.S. in Paris shares how Strong Start’s Letters, Sounds and Words program helps build community in her school. “When I first think about Strong Start, I think about community helping community. It takes a village to raise a child and so in our school, what we try to do is identify our children who need more support and we get our community members in to help us with that closing the gap for our children.”
In February 2014, I was struck with some hard luck as I had just been laid off from my job and now had to move. I decided to take some time off with my youngest son before he was to attend school that September. Thankfully, someone had recommended attending the local early years centre for various programs for adults while their children attended their own programs in different rooms. Given Easton’s age, he was able to attend the Get Ready for School program while I attended a social group for parents. The program was fantastic!
I am so impressed with the Get Ready for School program offered at Kinbridge Community Association in Cambridge. The staff, the curriculum, and the day-to-day activities have far exceeded my expectations! Zachary went into the program knowing the letter “Z” and is leaving with the ability to identify all of the letters. He can even read simple words.
Judy, a Volunteer Coach in the Letters, Sounds and Words program and Kiwanis Club member shares her passion for giving children the best possible start to school. “As a volunteer, seeing these children develop the gift of reading…it opens up a whole world of imagination and adventure to them. We’re always telling them that between the pages of a book, there’s a whole other world you can explore. Once you get into that world, the doors open up and you can go anywhere you wish to go.”
I just wanted to share some feedback regarding our experience with the Get Ready for School program. Prior to attending, Mateo had limited knowledge of the alphabet. Now, nearly 3 months later, he can identify most letters and accompanying sounds. The books that are sent home serve as great practice and reinforcement. Mateo is excited to identify letters in posters, billboards, pictures, etc.
