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School’s Cool program School’s Cool was held for six weeks, on three weekday mornings, and ends tomorrow with a graduation ceremony. Eighteen children were registered for the program. The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, in partnership with the Peterborough Family Resource Centre (designated as the Ontario Early Years Centre for Peterborough) collaborated in offering it for the second year. Barb is also executive director of the resource centre. The program zeroed in on the Keith Wightman Public School neighbourhood, says Barb, because they only had enough funding to do a limited program. But by concentrating it into a single group of kids, who will more than likely attend the same kindergarten class, they will be able to track their progress. "We want to see what kind of difference this will make in the classroom," explains Barb. Barb notes that from a child’s point of view, the program provides opportunities to get used to school routines and socialization. "And for parents, it’s important for them to feel a part of their school community, which strengthens their community involvement as a whole." Research shows that the experiences children have in their first six years of life affect their behaviour, learning and health for the rest of their lives. "This is a long-term investment in healthy communities. We eventually want successful adults to create that vision," she says, explaining how the program really builds foundations more than anything. According to a press release from the school board, the course was designed to: promote successful entry into kindergarten for children 3 to 5 balance active learning with structured routines to help prepare children for success in kindergarten provide daily activities which will support each child’s achievement in key developmental areas introduce parents to the school system and their role as parents of school age children assist children and their parents to build a solid foundation for continuing learning. The program blends developmentally appropriate curriculum and measurable outcomes, using more than 100 play-based activities to help children become comfortable with kindergarten routines and expectations. |
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‘This is a long-term investment in healthy communities" Peaceful Communities is reaching more people! The Grassroots Review |
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