Day one of school had a different set of first timers in eight Nova Scotia regions. Four-year-olds were among those marking their first day of school in the new full day Early Learning Program.

The 4-year-old program is part the Early Years Centres, a project to expand programming in Nova Scotia schools for children 0-3, and to provide after-school, public health, family support and, intervention services. The goal is to create school-based community hubs providing families with one-stop access to a range of programming responding to their needs. This model of integrated service delivery has been shown to reduce wait times for specialized services and reduce stress for children and their parents.

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(photo from left to right) Kerry McCuaig – Early Childhood Policy – Atkinson Centre – OISE; Donna Stapleton – Small World Learning Center – child care partner; Lisa Bennett – Parent Programs NGES – Better Together Family Resource Center; Karen Grandy – Public Health Nurse – New Germany; June McClellan – Early Years/Public School – Australia; Jane Bertrand – Program Director – Margaret & Wallace McCain Family Foundation Inc.; Jill Piers – DEECD Early Years Branch; Denise Stone – DEECD Early Years Branch; Crystal Martin – DEECD Early Years Branch; LynnAnne Snair – SSRSB ECE; Gillian Kiely – SSRSB ECE

Representatives from the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation Inc. enjoyed a visit with students and staff of the Early Years Centre located at New Germany Elementary School on Friday, September 25, 2015.

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September 2015

(Pictured are Carolyn Webber, Lead Early Childhood Educator, Early Years Centre, East Antigonish Education Centre/Academy; Joanne Landry, Vice Principal, East Antigonish Education Centre/Academy; Jane Bertrand, Program Director, Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation Inc.; June McLoughlin, Director of Family and Children's Services, Victoria, Australia; Denise Stone, Director, Early Years Integration and Community Development, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development; Kerry McCuaig, Fellow in Early Childhood Policy at the Atkinson Centre at Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto; Jim Keay, Principal, East Antigonish Education Centre/Academy; and Paul Landry, Director of Programs and Student Services, Strait Regional School Board.)

 

Representatives from the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation Inc. enjoyed a visit with students and staff of the Early Years Centre located at East Antigonish Education Centre/Academy in Monastery on Tuesday, September 22, 2015.

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MetroNewsSeptember 23, 2015 The benefits of the Early Years Centre at one Halifax school have some school board members hoping to see more funding to help others. During the first Halifax Regional School Board meeting of the year, the principal of Rockingstone Heights School and the lead for the Early...

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The Chronicle HeraldSeptember 22, 2015 Learning happens long before students take their first steps into their primary classroom on the first day of school. As parents and caregivers know, children start learning and observing the moment they are born. School boards across the province have shown their support for early...

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