Submitted by School District 8
StrongStart, a free Ministry of Education and Childcare program for pre-school children from infancy to five years old, has now expanded to include South Nelson Elementary School in School District No. 8.
StrongStart introduces children and their families to their neighbourhood school community. The program invites children and their parents, grandparents or caregivers to enjoy play time, circle time with songs and stories, and crafts.
StrongStart BC centres operate on a drop-in basis during the school year.
“As the facilitator for Nelson StrongStart, I am excited about the new location at South Nelson Elementary,” said Jen Popoff who works through Kootenay Kids to deliver StrongStart in both Nelson and Crawford Bay.
“This will give families an opportunity to be able to attend the program at their catchment school and get them comfortable with their school environment. This additional program also provides families in Nelson with an afternoon session which is a great addition to StrongStart.”
Breeanne MacLean, a mother of two students in the South Nelson Elementary catchment area, said, “We are excited about the South Nelson program because it is so close to home, a new environment, and will be the school the kids will attend. It gives them a chance to see where their school will be and get used to it, just like other kids who attend StrongStart in their schools.”
SD8 offers 13 StrongStart programs across the district and there are 329 StrongStart BC programs province-wide.
For a full list of SD8 StrongStart programs, partners and to register, visit sd8.bc.ca/programs/early-learning.