Strong Start's Letters, Sounds and Words program targets children in Senior Kindergarten and Grade One (ages 5-7) who need a literacy boost. They are selected by their classroom teacher at the first sign of them lagging behind in their early literacy skills. These children are paired with trained community volunteers who come into the school to work one-on-one with them, playing carefully designed games and activities. Each volunteer receives four hours of training prior to working with a child for the first time. The games are organized in four strands: Letters, Sounds, Words and Building Words. The child will see 2-3 volunteers per week depending on the number of strands they are in, for a 10 week period. Each visit is 30 minutes long. The children’s knowledge is tested before and after the program, documenting gains in their early literacy skills. An adaptation of this program has also been created for English Language Learners up to age 9. As the child progresses through this program, their confidence and self-esteem grow. They see themselves as successful learners. The program also looks to build community by encouraging those who live and work in the community to be involved in supporting its children.

Strong Start's vision is all children read. Our mission and mandate is to provide programs and services through community-wide partnerships to help children learn to read. It is also our mission and mandate to provide a meaningful volunteer experience.