STARS©™ – Skills That Achieve Readiness for School
STARS©™ is a structured, multi-sensory, play-based group curriculum that teaches a broad range of skills to children in the year before kindergarten.
We have been running group intervention at Outreach Therapy for several years, and developed the STARS©™ program in 2017 for a number of reasons:
- To answer need for more school readiness skills in preschoolers before kindergarten.
- We know from observation, research and referrals that there are increasing numbers of children who have low exposure to foundational fine motor, gross motor, cognitive, sensory, social and emotional skills.
- In response to feedback indicating that children entering school did not have some of the foundational skills.
- To access more remote communities. The STARS©™ model allows us to deliver the program in any early childhood setting, even in remote communities across Vancouver Island.
Goals for children in the STARS©™ program include:
- Develop the hand strength and co-ordination required for printing.
- Learn how to hold scissors and get into a good position for cutting.
- Increase understanding of colours, shapes, numbers and letters.
- Develop social skills and play skills with same-age peers.
- Practice listening to directions and following a routine.
- Increase self-confidence.
- Have fun learning through play!
If your child attends a preschool or daycare in Port Alberni or on the west coast, ask the centre if they offer the STARS©™ program!
If you are an ECE or Early Years professional and are interested in becoming a certified STARS©™ instructor, please contact us at Outreach Therapy for training dates and more information.
STARS©™ gratefully acknowledges the following organizations:
