Palsson Elementary School recently received a $200 grant from the Town of Lake Cowichan to pilot a new before-school program, which principal Jan Bradley hopes will not only help students prepare for class but also promote a lasting healthy lifestyle.
The morning program, called “Activity Before Learning,” or ABL, will include 20 minutes of exercise and a healthy snack for all students before their classes begin. Though educational initiatives are typically funded by the province, Bradley explained that Palsson’s ABL program is not mandated by the Ministry of Education, so the school had to look elsewhere for funding. Island Savings put forth $200 as a startup fund for the pilot in June, while the Town of Lake Cowichan announced they would match the $200 with their own grant at last week’s town council meeting.
“I’ve heard of many kids going to school hungry and that it’s been having an effect on their ability to learn,” Mayor Ross Forrest said at the meeting.
Palsson’s pilot program is planned to to be implemented at the beginning of June, and will be held three mornings a week until classes end on June 25. Despite her enthusiasm for the program, Bradley said it was necessary to see how well ABL works in Palsson before committing to a full program.
“[The ABL program] fits well into our school’s literacy goals, and we’re always looking for ways to increase student achievement,” Bradley said. “If children come to school hungry, they can’t concentrate in the same way. It’s also good to get kids into a healthy lifestyle as well. It’s a win-win.”
Though the idea of exercise and snacks before class is new to Lake Cowichan, View Royal saw a similar program launch in September 2013 at the Ecole Shoreline Community Middle School. The outcome of their ABL program has been astounding. The Times Colonist reported that the school’s average academic performance had grown by 21 per cent, while kids being sent to the office for discipline decreased from an average 17 a day to just three. Late arrivals also decreased by 82 per cent and absences by 46 per cent. Vice-principal Jeff Duyndam told the paper that the students had taken to the program as well, many of them showing up to school already in their gym strip. Bradley said she hopes to see a similar outcome at Palsson, though the program will have to be rebuilt from the ground up in order to fit the needs of younger students. Though ABL program are uncommon, especially in BC, Bradley said she believes Palsson to be a perfect size to test it out.
“It might not work, but we have to give it a try,” she said. “It seems like a great thing, for all kids to start the day like this.”
