Queen Victoria Partners in Early Learning -QVPEL- David Finkelstein – Principal, Queen Victoria PS

Queen Victoria Public School  A large Inner City K-8 school located in the neighbourhood of Parkdale (downtown Toronto)  Serves a diverse, economically needy community largely comprised of newcomer and socially supported families  850 students representing over 60 countries and 40 languages. Large population groups include Tibetan, Vietnamese, Tamil, Caribbean, Filipino, Chinese, Hungarian and Roma immigrants and refuges.  75% of our families household income below $40,000, with 54% below $29,000.  We work hard, we work smart, we work together!

Early Development Instrument Physical Health/Well-being, Social Knowledge/Competence, Emotional Health/Maturity, Language/Cognitive Skills, Communication/General Knowledge

More Than Child Play

QVPEL  The QVPEL partnership was formed out of one of the five pilot sites for the Toronto First Duty Project.  The Toronto First Duty model (Mustard and McCain) brought together kindergarten, child care and parenting supports into a single program. Parents were able to access the full range of child and family supports available in their community  Once the First Duty funding ended, the partners of QVPEL continued on with as many of our joint projects as possible.  The QVPEL is an excellent example of service integration.  Each partner brings their programs, service and expertise to the partnership and finds ways to make programs and services as seamless as possible for all of our participants.  The QVPEL is a successful investment in community safety and health through education. Partnership efforts help achieve greater outcomes; allow for sustainability in the face of scarce resources; offer innovation through shared practices; and provide versatility through creative solutions.

Summer Readiness Program  60 pre-JK students, 3 weeks in July  The program focuses on  Increasing independence and social skills;  Resolving any separation issues;  Familiarizing the child with school routine and culture;  Building school readiness cognitive skills.  Early identification of students needs and mobilization of student support when needed.  Most children come to our school with no pre-school experiences.  Some have never used pencils crayons, scissors.  Some have never been separated from their parents.  Most parents are unfamiliar with the Canadian school system and in this program they are simultaneously supported by the Parenting Literacy and Learning Centre (Incredible Years program, Nobody’s Perfect, etc)

Other QVPEL Projects  Healthy Child Screening two times a year - hearing- dental - vision- general health - speech and language- nutrition - social/emotional- developmental  Joint projects - strengthening families for the future - community kitchen - recreation programs - Welcome to Kindergarten  Joint Professional Development and Data Collection  Outreach and support for each others’ initiatives and programs

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