Welcome to The Virtual Community of Support for Early Learning. We are very excited to be able to offer our online program again this year and look forward to reaching out and making some very important connections within our communities. Participation in the program is designed for parents and caregivers in rural/isolated communities that are unable to access a school based StrongStartBC Centre or Outreach Program on a regular basis. In addition to this we encourage parents to use the Virtual Online Program to supplement their local StrongStart Centre.

The Virtual Program is designed to increase the knowledge, skills and abilities of parents and caregivers to provide rich early learning environments in their homes. Specifically the goals of the program are to enhance parents and caregivers understanding of

• Early learning and early childhood development;
• How to create language-rich learning environments at home;
• How to incorporate simple everyday activities at home that support development in all domains: physical, emotional, social, cognitive and language and communication; and
• Ways to reflect on their children’s early learning.

The Virtual Program will be delivered via Elluminate sessions online. Elluminate is an interactive online program designed for small and large groups. An Early Childhood Educator will facilitate monthly learning sessions and discussions beginning in October and continuing until the end of the school year in June. Opportunities will also be available for parents and caregivers to meet 1-on-1 online with the Early Childhood Educator to discuss child development and topics of interest. There will also be weekly activity sessions online where children will have the opportunity to listen to stories and participate in activities.

Keep checking our site as new information will be added weekly. Participation in The Virtual Program is voluntary and free of charge. Parents and Caregivers are required to register in the online program. Weekly participation is encouraged, however, sessions will be recorded and stored for later review. This will allow parents and children to view the session recordings that they have missed. As well, an email package of all materials used in the session will be emailed out each week so that they may be printed and used at home.

Explore further into our site to find additional resources and website links on early learning. Check out our News and Updates page to see what’s happening with the program, featured links and more. To get started on the program visit the Registration section for instructions or if you have question you can write to our Early Childhood Educator on the Questions and Support page.  We hope you find helpful information and have a great experience learning and teaching your child skills for life long success.

Meet Deborah our Virtual Early Learning Facilitator

I am pleased to have this opportunity to work with you and your child. My role as a facilitator is to support parents and children in both rural and urban centres with early learning development and fun learning activities that can be done at home. The Early Learning Program supports the implementation of the BC Early Learning Framework (BCELF) and Pyramid Model from The Centre on Social Emotional Foundations of Early Learning. The Pyramid Model is a framework that encourages nurturing, responsive relationships and quality inclusive environments for all children and families.

I have an educational background in Social Services, Rehabilitation, Early Childhood Education, Teaching Assistant, as well as I am currently finishing a degree in Human Services. Throughout my 25+ year career I have worked with children and families in early learning and care programs in both residential and school-based settings.

When I am not supporting educators and children, I can generally be found outdoors. Living in the great outdoor area that Hinton provides I try to take advantage of the vast recreational opportunities. A few of the activities that I enjoy include hiking, biking, running, kayaking, camping, gardening and just sitting on the deck enjoying the outdoors and my family.

All the best,

Deborah Webb