StrongStart BC early learning programs provide school-based early learning services for adults and their young children, aged birth to five, at no cost to families. Both children and adults can benefit from StrongStart BC early learning programs – children have access to high-quality learning environments and benefit from social interactions while the adults who accompany them learn new ways to support learning, both at the program and at home.
Qualified early childhood educators lead learning activities, including stories, music, and art to help children get ready for success in kindergarten.
Parents and caregivers attending StrongStart BC programs can expect to participate in organized sessions like story time, in play activities, and in serving a healthy snack.
Parents and caregivers are likely to discover new ways to support their children’s learning at home and may make valuable connections with others attending the program.
A list of up-and-running StrongStart BC programsis available online. The centres are open at least three hours a day and five days a week. For details on an existing or future centre, contact the local school district.
Two types of StrongStart BC programs are available: StrongStart BC Early Learning Centres and StrongStart BC Early Learning Outreach Programs.
StrongStart BC Early Learning Centres are located in school facilities and operate five days per week, for a minimum of three hours per day.
StrongStart BC Outreach Programs provide quality early learning experiences for children in rural and remote communities. Outreach programs operate on a reduced schedule, to accommodate the many remote locations it serves.
The Province has offered all of B.C.’s 60 school districts the opportunity to participate in the program and almost all are taking advantage.
StrongStart BC programs are located in school facilities and fulfill the government’s election platform and throne speech commitment to use underutilized school spaces to deliver early learning services.
