School Holiday Programs

Lively learning cleverly disguised as fun

At Kids First, we have fantastic fun during the school holidays!

Kids First's school holiday workshops offer a perfect alternative to vacation care for active, curious kids who enjoy trying and learning new things. 

An added benefit is that Kids First's school holiday programs are offered by our children's health professionals.

This means that if your child is eligible, your family could benefit from health fund, Medicare or FaHCSIA rebates

APRIL SCHOOL HOLIDAYS 2012 - Bookings now open

Read below for the details of:

• Radical Readers - Oral Reading Workshops

• NAPLAN Preparation Workshop

• Power On - Core strength & Concentration Workshops

• Write Away - Handwriting Workshops

Radical Readers

Oral Reading Workshops for children from Kindergarten to Year 2

The Easter holidays give kids a great break from school, but often, regular routines like daily reading can be easily put on the back burner.

Research has indicated that up to 27% of children return to class in the new school year with depleted levels of reading confidence because their skills are not at the same level as they were before the holidays.

Radical Readers is a positive program of three small group sessions offered by Kids First's patient, professional Speech and Language Therapists to help your child to prepare for a confident start to classroom reading in term 2.

Our experienced, university educated literacy specialists are experts in helping children to overcome their reading fluency challenges and 
will give your child the opportunity to boost their reading skills in a supportive environment.

Radical Readers' proven success has been praised by parents who have noticed their children's rapid improvement after completing this short holiday program.

View video of one mum's feedback here.
 
Radical Readers is best suited to children entering Years 1 and 2.

If your child is not currently receiving literacy and/or reading support from Kids First's Speech Pathology team, a 30 minute screening with one of our professionals is required before enrolment is confirmed in order to determine if your child will benefit from this group program.

A maximum of 5 places are available in each 3-day workshop

As Radical Readers is an eligible Speech Therapy service, you may be able to claim health fund rebates for this program. Please enquire with your health fund for the specifics of your policy cover.

Cost: Current speech pathology clients - $270 (Includes resources and 3 workshop sessions)
         New speech pathology clients - $345 (Includes 30 minute Speech Pathology screening appointment, resources and 3 workshop sessions)

NAPLAN Preparation Workshop
For children in Years 3 and 5 

Monday 23 April

** View our NAPLAN Workshop video here

In mid May, all Australian children in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will sit for NAPLAN – a National Assessment in Literacy and Numeracy

External exams are a new experience for many primary schoolers and they do take some getting used to!

These school holidays, Kids First’s experienced team of teachers will offer encouraging, positive one day workshops to help children in Years 3 and 5 feel confident and comfortable with NAPLAN.

The full day program will familiarise kids with the format, time constraints and types of questions they will be expected to answer in NAPLAN’s four examination sections.

• Language conventions (spelling, punctuation etc)
• Writing
• Reading and Comprehension
• Numeracy .

Kids First’s specialist teachers will work with groups of approximately 8 students, ensuring that kids get the support they need in a fun environment.

NAPLAN Workshops are popular and because places are limited, book out quickly.

To reserve a place for your child, contact Kids First on 9938 5419

 * Please note that this is a staff development day in most public schools. Please check with your child's school to confirm Term 2 start dates before reserving a place in this program

Cost: $90  (Includes program and all resources)

Power On

Core Strength & Concentration program for children aged 7-10

Does your child .....

• Slouch in their chair?
• Have difficulty sitting still?
• Have poor attention?
• Have decreased strength and low tone?
• Lack confidence in playground games
• Have trouble coordinating left and right to do things like ride a bike?

...then Power On is a perfect activity for you this April!

Your child’s ‘Core’  is the deep postural muscles that make up the trunk of the body. These muscles enable your child to maintain balance and keeps your child centred and focused.

Kids who have poor Core Strength find it hard to hold their body in position so that they can concentrate and learn. They are often described as over-active children with poor handwriting, short attention spans and sloppy posture.

Power On is a fun, interactive workshop that gives kids the chance to enjoy games and exercises that strengthen their core muscles that increase their ability to focus and attend to tasks.

Provided by Kids First’s team of experienced paediatric Occupational Therapists, Power On offers practical support and ideas that you can implement at home to support your child’s learning and school performance.

Some benefits to expect from improving core strength at Power On include:

• improved posture
• improved overall attention
• improved strength
• improved confidence and self-esteem

Power On is an Occupational Therapy service. Your child may be eligible for rebates through your private health fund

A maximum of 6 places are available in each 3-day workshop

As Power On is an Occupational Therapy service, your child may be eligible for health fund rebates. Please enquire with your health fund for the specifics of your policy cover.

Cost: Current Occupational Therapy clients - $450 (Includes resources and 3 workshop sessions)
          New Occupational Therapy clients - $525  (Includes 30 minute Occupational Therapy screening appointment, resources and 3 workshop sessions)

Write Away

Handwriting support for children in Kindergarten & Year 1

Does your child .....

• Have untidy handwriting?
• Hold a pencil awkwardly?
• Write slowly?
• Form letters incorrectly?
• Find it hard to remember what letters look like?

In Australia, many bright children are disadvantaged in their learning because their poor handwriting interferes with the production of the high quality work of which they are capable. In fact, studies have shown that approximately 10% of school aged children have significant handwriting difficulties.

If your child needs help with handwriting, join Kids First’s team of experienced paediatric Occupational Therapists these school holidays for fun, encouraging and positive mornings full of fine motor fun, postural stability, visual memory and discrimination activities that will ensure the development of healthy handwriting habits.

Write Away is an Occupational Therapy service. Your child may be eligible for rebates through your private health fund

A maximum of 5 places are available in each 3-day workshop

As Write Away is an Occupational Therapy service, your child may be eligible for health fund rebates. Please enquire with your health fund for the specifics of your policy cover.

Cost: Current Occupational Therapy clients - $450 (Includes resources and 3 workshop sessions)          
         New Occupational Therapy clients - $525  (Includes 30 minute Occupational Therapy screening appointment, resources and 3 workshop sessions)

If you would like to give your child the benefit of these opportunities or have any questions, please contact Kids First Children’s Services on 9938 5419.

*Note: Due to the popularity of these programs, the preparation involved and the limited number of places available, all bookings must be confirmed within 3 business days with payment in full. No refunds or credits will be available for withdrawals made within 5 working days of the commencement of the program. Places are offered on first in, first served basis