Elementary school children in need of extra support in literacy and numeracy will get mentoring specific to building those skills, thanks to a new program offered by the Greater Victoria branch of the Boys and Girls Club and funded by the Victoria Foundation.
Since last November, children in Esquimalt, Victoria West, Langford, Colwood and Central Saanich, areas where the service organization offers Community Clubs, have been referred to the Literacy and Numeracy Program by teachers and school counsellors. Children do not have to be members of Boys and Girls Club to enrol.
“Boys and Girls Club highly values the educational support programs that we provide because of strong community support from the Victoria Foundation,” said Dalyce Dixon, executive director of the Victoria office of the national organization. “Combined with our nationally sponsored Rogers Raising the Grade program offered at our Norgaard Club in Central Saanich, we are making strong inroads on preparing youth for success at school and beyond.”
The Literacy and Numeracy Program offers fun, play-based literacy and numeracy skill-development activities. It utilizes interactive games and activities that help increase the child’s exposure to academic material and concepts.
This approach to learning builds on the child’s existing knowledge and skills, develops conceptual thinking, reinforces foundational skills and helps reinforce positive attitudes toward learning. Programs are tailored to individual needs and the interests of the group.
A key to ensure that these objectives are met is a staff-to-participant ratio of no more than one mentor for five participants. The low ratio ensures greater individual focus and attention.
After-school programs take place at Millstream, Vic West and Harbourside schools. Lunchtime programs are offered at Bayside and Brentwood schools.
If results of a poll of more than 100 students, ranging from kindergarten to Grade 8, who participated in other programs run last year are any indication, the new program should be a success, as well.
Graduates of other programs boasted:
• 36 per cent increase in letter recognition
• 28 per cent increase in phonemic awareness (the smallest unit of sound that differentiates words)
• 15 per cent increase in vocabulary
• 18 per cent increase in word recognition
• 24 per cent increase in number recognition (up to 120)
• 15 per cent increase in mathematical equation
The success of the programs has attracted the attention of a middle-school support team, who have inquired about working together to offer a program focused on a cohort of students, Grades 6 to 8, who were reading at kindergarten to Grade 1 levels.
For more information, go to bgcvic.org.
