Success stories from parents, volunteers, and community members.
The rewards of volunteering are endless. Volunteering impacts society, neighbourhoods, organizations, businesses and of course, the dedicated volunteers who offer their time and energy. Volunteering builds confidence, competence, connections and community. It can also pave … Continued
Strong Start’s dedicated materials volunteer, Austin, was awarded one of three Youth Appreciation Awards for 2023 from the Optimist Club of Waterloo North. Read the full story here. Congratulations, Austin!
We invite you to join us in celebrating and applauding amazing Strong Start volunteers, by tweeting @Strong_Start using the hashtag #NVW2023 and #WeavingUsTogether, liking us on Facebook and connecting with us on Instagram. We also invite you to read stories from other volunteers, families, and our program partners here.
We invite you to join us in celebrating and applauding amazing Strong Start volunteers, by tweeting @Strong_Start using the hashtag #NVW2023 and #WeavingUsTogether, liking us on Facebook and connecting with us on Instagram. We also invite you to read stories from other volunteers, families, and our program partners here.
I first heard about the Baby Connections program through a friend, when I was about nine months into my maternity leave. My daughter, Claire, was one of the older babies enrolled in the program at the Early Years Centre. Baby Connections is a wonderful opportunity for parents to learn how they can promote their children’s early literacy development.
There are so many benefits to reading to babies – from encouraging early language and brain development to fostering imagination. But most of all, reading together creates a special bond between parent and child.
I first heard about Strong Start’s Letters, Sounds and Words program at church. Our pastor was talking about the need for volunteers, to help young children learn to read, at Howard Robertson P.S. After attending the two training sessions, the school’s Site Co-ordinator hosted an orientation session for the newly trained Volunteer Coaches.
Easton is my handsome, sweet, oldest child with short brown hair, blue eyes and olive complexion. He’s a thoughtful and energetic kid who loves math and hockey. Bed-time story time was a part of our daily routine and I could see him struggling to read on his own; even when we went to the library, he would pick out a book he found interesting but I would have to read a majority of the book to him.
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.
