Early Learning Initiatives

General Guidelines for StrongStart BC Centres 2007

Background:

The years between birth and school-age are a critical time in a child’s life. The experiences that children have in the early years influence their future health, well-being, and life-long learning. By investing in children’s early years we can positively affect the future lives of British Columbians.

The Ministry of Education and school districts now have an opportunity to increase early learning programs available to families and their preschool children. Along with the Ministry of Children and Family Development and their community agencies, schools can play a greater role in realizing the vision for early learning: a greater proportion of children will enter school with optimal health and development, ready to be successful in Kindergarten.

Early learning is a term that is being used to describe the knowledge and skills that young children acquire in key developmental domains: physical, language and communication, social, and emotional. Children who are vulnerable in one or more of these areas are less likely to be successful in Kindergarten and the early grades in school.

Schools can take an active role in their communities to influence early learning with StrongStart BC Centres – universal, free early learning programs for young children and their families.

The Ministry of Education will provide funding to Boards of Education to develop a school-based program for families/caregivers and their preschool-aged children, at no cost to families. Ideally, this new Centre will be endorsed by the community as it will fill a community need and be co-located with other services for families of young children such as child care or parent resource centres in school-based hubs. StrongStart BC Centres are conceptualized to fill an early learning niche for preschool-aged children who are not in childcare settings. Parents or caregivers who are responsible for children under school age during the day will be able to attend a StrongStart BC Centre in their local school with their preschool children. Both the children and the caregivers will benefit from the learning that takes place at the StrongStart BC Centre.

Objectives of StrongStart BC Centres:

  • programmed to promote language, cognitive, physical and social/emotional development of young children;
  • opportunities for parents/caregivers to observe and practice effective strategies that support early learning; ideally have an outreach component to reach the most hard to reach families;
  • located in schools offering Kindergarten, in underutilised school space;
  • staffed with at least one licensed Early Childhood Educator, trained to work with young children;
  • inclusive environments that welcome all preschool children in the neighbourhood five mornings per week, together with their parents/caregivers (program emphasis will be on 3 to 4 year olds) for regular activities;
  • designed in collaboration with the community to meet the unique needs of the neighbourhood;
  • linked to services offered by health authorities, community agencies and other social service providers (e.g., early screening, libraries, parent resource centres, child care resource and referral services, referrals for children who may have developmental or other special needs);
  • opportunities for service providers to connect with parents/caregivers and children and provide them with information and services (e.g., public health, libraries, ESL, literacy);
  • family-friendly environments where parents/caregivers can make connections; and
  • free of charge for parents/caregivers attending with their preschool children.

Activities at StrongStart BC Centres will include:

  • organized activities such as story time, music, singing;
  • access to books, art materials, and puzzles;
  • play areas that promote creativity, exploration, individual and group play (e.g. water, sand, clay, blocks);
  • movement and large muscle activities;
  • snack time, with food that models healthy eating;
  • opportunities for outdoor experiences; and
  • possible outings in the community (e.g., to the beach, the park, the swimming pool, the library).

StrongStart BC Centres should also specifically address:

  • neighbourhood needs
  • availability of space/site selection
  • consultation with a licensed Early Childhood Educator
  • necessary renovations
  • moving costs if moving furniture and equipment
  • consultation with and involvement of community partners
  • inclusion of children with special needs
  • management of facility (e.g., school district or community partnership)
  • operational reporting mechanism – operator to school district (if applicable)
  • replacement and maintenance costs
  • cleaning, sanitizing
  • stroller space
  • washroom appropriateness and proximity
  • play equipment and fencing (if required)
  • how to reach out to vulnerable and Aboriginal families (for example, include an outreach component to involve vulnerable families)
  • potential barriers such as transportation and distance

School districts will need to:

  a) Designate adequate space for a StrongStart BC Centrein under-utilized school space.
  b) Prepare the designated space as necessary to serve the needs of participating families and their young children.
  c) Purchase furniture, equipment, educational materials, learning resource
  d) Ensure funding is used for the school-based StrongStart BC Centre planning, training, service delivery, evaluation, and reporting.
  e)

Provide travel to the Early Childhood Educator as required for planning, training, collaboration, evaluation, reporting, and any other activities associated with the StrongStart BC Centre.

  f)

Allow for occasional site visits by Ministry of Education staff, to be scheduled in advance by the Ministry.

  g) Provide reports as requested to the Ministry about attendance and other matters.
Regarding the operation of the StrongStart BC Centre, school districts will need to:
  h)

Ensure the StrongStart BC Centre is staffed by a facilitator with an Early Childhood Education (ECE) License to Practice.
  i)

Apply a fair process to find the most qualified facilitator to deliver the Service in the StrongStart BC Centre.

  j)

Ensure all facilitator(s) at the Strong Start Centrehave undergone and passed a Criminal Records Check.

  k)

Ensure all facilitator(s) of the StrongStart BC Centre:

  • Undergo necessary training and professional development.
  • Work with school staff and administration as required.
  l) Deliver the services of the StrongStart BC Centre for 5 days per week during the school year (not including statutory holidays) for at least 3 hours/day, or an equivalent schedule mutually agreed upon by the District and the Ministry.
  m) Pay for all Eligible Costs associated with the operation of the StrongStart BC Centre, including snacks for participating children.
  n) Ensure a parent or adult family member or caregiver accompanies the child in the StrongStart BC Centre at all times – the Service in the StrongStart BC Centre is not designated childcare.
  o) Prepare and maintain a risk management plan that covers the services and premises.