What is the Starskills 40 Weeks Program?

The Starskills 40 Weeks Program (available here) is designed for children aged 0-5. It is a weekly program that provides a literacy and numeracy introduction and focus. Children develop vocabulary, count and clap words. It is a visually based program with educators being able to login to the weekly early learning video, collect weekly learning cards. Parents are kept involved with “Homework Cards” each week this is great for parents who desire to be in touch with what is happening with their children each week. They love collecting the cards and feeling apart of their child’s learning.

Who is the Starskills 40 Weeks Program for?

The program is perfect for playgroups, daycares, 3 plus programs, and anyone with a desire to teach the babies, toddlers, preschoolers and kindy children in their life. The simplicity of the program provides a simple framework but is flexible enough to add your own touch to and tie into teaching regarding the EYLF.

How I Implement my Starskills 40 Weeks Program

I have found children love knowing what is coming each week with regards to structure. The structure below is tried and tested over a year and the children and parents love it. Of course you can change it to suite your children. * Please note you will make changes to suit your setting.

  • Children “sign in” – practice writing their name as they come into our class.
  • Read books and then we pack away.
  • When all the children have arrived we will “Find Our Name” and place it on our attendance easel.
  • I welcome the children with some singing  – Name Song
  • I have the children’s names laminated and as I sing the song each child gets their name chart to write over. (This is amazing to see the babies and toddlers have a go at this!)
  • Teddy bear gives the children a cuddle and the children come on the mat (special blanket)
  • Watch weekly online movie  (I try and dress the bear up depending on the weekly theme)
  • Read weekly literature
  • Table top activities
  1. Sensory Table – Playdough
  2. Weekly Numeracy Card – Children count stickers onto
  3. Weekly Worksheet – Children can colour worksheet
  4. Depending on my EYLF focus I will have simple fun activities set up on blankets / different areas.
  • Pack away song comes on
  • Bubble time – children come back to the mat area
  • Parachute time
  • Sticcker time
  • Children take Home their Weekly Vocabulary Card, Vocabulary card and Counting card to clap syllables each week, as well as talk about the meaning of their new words in order to extend the child’s language and pronunciation.
  • You can place  these cards in a little photo album so they can flick through and enjoy them. When the children come each week they can hand in their album

Starskills 40 Weeks Program as an Early Intervention Program in local communities

Over the years this program has been used in playgroups in at risk areas as an Early Intervention Program.The Starskills 40 Weeks Program has been used as an Early Intervention Program to help  young learners from birth to 5 who may be considered at risk. This risk may be due to social, intellectual or developmental factors. An early intervention program is designed to support parents in helping their children to learn. Starskills Early intervention program is designed for community play groups wanting to help the most vulnerable in society and give such children a better start. Children who have a head start before they enter into the schooling system. Starskills Early Intervention Program gives leaders and parents a weekly focus. Infants, toddlers and pre schoolers can all be involved with this Early intervention Program. The layout is simple and easy to follow. It is designed to help children develop early literacy and numeracy skills.

Early Intervention is absolutely essential is children are to be ready for school – especially if there are present risk factors.

After nearly 50 years of research, there is evidence–both quantitative (data-based) and qualitative (reports of parents and teachers)–that early intervention increases the developmental and educational gains for the child, improves the functioning of the family, and reaps long-term benefits for society. Early intervention has been shown to result in the child: (a) needing fewer special education and other habilitative services later in life; (b) being retained in grade less often; and (c) in some cases being indistinguishable from nonhandicapped classmates years after intervention.

Disadvantaged and gifted preschool-aged children benefit from early intervention as well. Longitudinal data on disadvantaged children who had participated in the Ypsilanti Perry Preschool Project showed that they had maintained significant gains at age 19 (Berrueta-Clement, Schweinhart, Barnett, Epstein, Weikart, 1984). These children were more committed to schooling and more of them finished high school and went on to postsecondary programs and employment than children who did not attend preschool. They scored higher on reading, arithmetic, and language achievement tests at all grade levels; showed a 50% reduction in the need for special education services through the end of high school; and showed fewer anti-social or delinquent behaviors outside of school. Karnes (1983) asserts that underachievement in the gifted child may be prevented by early identification and appropriate programming.

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The Starskills Early Intervention Program

The Starskills 40 Week Program is broken up into 10 week blocks. The first program is Animals the second Colours, Food and finally Places. Starskills 40 Week Program for infants,toddlers & preschoolers. A 40 Week Program for 0-4 year olds at home, daycare or playgroup! 40 Weeks of teaching for your baby, toddler and preschoolers! Weekly overview to follow, weekly learning cards, vocabulary cards and homework cards & weekly videos. Perfect for at home or your playgroup coop or early learning setting!

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The 40 Weeks is broken into 10 Weeks blocks….

Weeks 1-10 is all about Animals
Weeks 11-21 – Colours
Weeks 22-30 – Food
Weeks 31-40 – Places

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  • 40 Weekly Reading Cards to download
  • 40 Weekly Homework Cards
  • 40 Weekly Vocabulary Cards
  • 40 Literacy Worksheets
  • 40 Numeracy Worksheets
  • 40 Weekly Early Learning Videos

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Each week you will -:

* Develop early literacy skills by reading quality literature with your child
* Develop early numeracy skills by count with your child
* Develop phonemic awareness skills by clapping words with your child
* Develop vocabulary by watching the early learning video

This program is perfect for home schoolers, playgroup coops, Three plus programs, Kindergartens, family daycares, educators of babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

* Have a simple to follow 10 week program
* Have quality literature to expose your children to
* Have a fun educational mat time
* Have weekly table top activities
* Have weekly learning cards to send home each week to encourage parents to continue on with their child’s weekly learning.

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This Program also ran in the community –  Anglicare’s Community Playgroup as well as a Salvation Army in Merriwa, Western Australia.

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UPDATE: Starskills 40 Week Program is available online and can be bought here.

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