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.
TD Bank believes that a good education opens doors and contributes greatly to the long-term well-being of individuals, families and communities. Their focus on creating opportunities for young people is inspiring and evident in all that they do. TD Bank has been a generous supporter of our Letters, Sounds and Words program across Waterloo Region, Wellington County and Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk Counties for more than 7 years. Three years ago, they also began supporting our preschool program, Get Ready for School.
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.
After her son benefited from the Letters, Sounds and Words program, Erica Cross wanted to give back. She got involved as a volunteer in her son’s school to make a difference for other children. This is their story.
Rhys participated in the Get Ready for School program after his family moved from northern Ontario to Cambridge. Rhys struggled with severe anxiety, but over the course of the program, he gained some independence. He was ready for school! We followed up with his mother, Sherri Roy, to see how Rhys is doing now.
Bram’s daughter was struggling to learn how to read. He worked with her at home, along with his wife, but nothing they did seemed to make a difference. In Grade 1, she was enrolled in Strong Start’s Letters, Sounds and Words program, which helped open the lid to her learning. This is their story.
Grace participated in and benefited from the 2016 Get Ready for School program where she gained some of the fundamental skills she would need to be successful in school. This summer, we followed up with her mother Ashley Pederson to see how school is going for Grace so far.
As a top-quality builder, with properties in Brantford, Guelph, London and Waterloo Region, Sifton Properties invests where their staff and clients live, work and raise families. With a specific focus on education and helping the next generation prepare for a successful future, our Letters, Sounds and Words program was a perfect fit with their neighbourly philosophy. Honouring Brier Park Public School in Brantford, which serves their tenants in the Brier Park community, was a wonderful way to support their local residents.
Good corporate citizens, and environmental leaders, are great descriptors for Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada. With a Tim Horton’s onsite to serve employees, staff are encouraged to put the lids of their cups in a separate slot in the recycling container. In honour of their teams efforts to recycle, Toyota created the Lids4Kids program, where a donation is made to a children’s charity each quarter, in recognition of the lids collected.
