Program Information
For more information on our programs, please choose a heading below. The Fall Schedule is now available in each Program Information Section.
Our Academic Skills program is designed to give students the opportunity to develop their abilities in a wide range of skills, depending on their needs. Program participants work one-on-one with trained tutors to identify and work on their specific areas of challenge and learn how to utilize their areas of strength. Learning these skills can help to increase success across many subject areas and reduce the stress level of the overall school experience.
Skills such as reading for purpose, understanding course outlines, assignment breakdown and completion, research skills, organization of self and belongings, test taking, time and stress management are all necessary for success and well-being at school. However, children and youth sometimes require extra support or repetition of teaching or explicit instructions of how to master these skills.
Tutors work with participants to gain an understanding of what their daily events and expectations are. After this is clearly understood, the participants work with the guidance of their tutor to create an easy-to-follow, effective method of keeping track of what has been done and what needs to be done. Participants also complete a ‘learning styles inventory’ that helps them determine what style of learning and studying is most effective for them (such as visual, auditory, reading, etc.).
FALL Schedule: September 23rd – December 14th. Monday – Thursday 3:30 pm- 7:30 pm. Please identify your preferred times on the registration form.
COST: 40.00 per 1 hour session. No child is turned away. Financial assistance may be available. Contact us for more information.
Effective reading and writing are fundamental to your child’s overall success in school; however, they are some of the most challenging skills a student has to develop and apply throughout their academic career. At LDABC The Learning Curve, we teach not only reading and writing, but also thinking skills. Our goal is to cultivate overall literacy by supporting each student’s individual learning processes and fostering their confidence along the way.
This program is designed for any student who is struggling with reading or writing. Your child does not have to have an assessment for learning disabilities to qualify. What we do during our sessions is as diverse as the learners who attend our programs. Our approach is strength based and focuses on the whole child.
While the overall program is structured according to the current reading remediation research, each child will focus on their own individualized goals during their session with a tutor. Parents will meet with the tutor during the first session to discuss how to best tailor this program to their child’s needs. These goals and activities can be changed as often as necessary to fit your child’s development.
SPRING SCHEDULE: April 1st – June 17th. Monday – Thursday 3:30 pm- 7:30 pm. Please identify your preferred times on the registration form.
COST: $40.00 per 1 hour session. No child is turned away. Financial assistance may be available. Contact us for more information.
NEW WRITING WORKSHOP!
An opportunity for children and youth to explore their inner author and superhero at the same time. This fun workshop provides children assessed with learning and/or attention challenges that impact their written expression with an opportunity to explore and write about their strengths, inner thoughts and feelings through a variety of activities.
SPRING SCHEDULE: TBD
COST: $100.00/ 4 sessions (includes a parent follow-up session)
Our programs are designed to be fun and use play to explore common themes for children and youth with learning and behavior challenges. Each group provides:
- Opportunities to self reflect within a safe environment
- Exploration, expression and validation of feelings and emotions
Our goal is to create an environment where each child and youth will experience safety, support and understanding within a group setting.
Parents are provided with a follow up session to understand and support their child’s healthy emotional and social development.
Online Registration Information and Instructions for all Child and Youth Programs:
Registration for programs are accepted at any time for sessions in:
- Fall (September – December)
- Winter (January – March), Spring (April- June)
- Summer (July-August)
Individualized programming is available for 1-5 sessions per week. Sessions are 1 hour in length.
Emotional Social Development programs can be offered in individual or group sessions. Determining the best program for the child/youth will be determined during intake.
The program information above will help you determine which program is the best fit for your child. If you are unsure which program would be the best fit for your child, please check the “unsure” box on the registration form and we will contact you to discuss further and schedule an intake meeting.
Once we receive your application, we will contact you to let you know it was received and to schedule an intake meeting. Please note that at certain times of the year, we receive increased applications and it can take 4-6 weeks to schedule an intake meeting. If you have not heard back, please feel free to contact us!
Complete the online registration formProgram Information
Online Registration Information and Instructions for all Family, Care Giver and Professional Support Programs:
Family, Care Giver and Professional Support Programs have changed! If you would like us to contact you regarding the options available or if you have any questions, please contact us for more information.
Challenging Behaviors
About the Workshop:
Parents and care providers are reporting increased frustration, stress, aggression and other related challenges that are well documented in our children and youth, but not well understood; especially during these challenging times. And, adult direction, teaching or intervention seem to have little effect or can even make matters worse. Care providers are invited to join us and share their experiences, as we gain insight into the root causes of many challenging behaviors and develop an understanding of how we can help children to grow out of these behaviors.
While temper tantrums are part and parcel of the growing up developmental process, for many reasons, some children and youth can experience intense emotional reactions (at any age) that leave adults bewildered, triggered, frustrated or questioning what to do. Often, typical strategies do not seem to have an effect and in many cases, make the situation worse. This workshop will explore the roots of aggression, how self control and impulse control are developed and how we can assist the developmental process
Facilitated by: Debbie Cybulski
WHEN: September 21 6:45 pm – 8:45 pm via ZOOM
COST: $20.00
Challenging Behaviors
Common Challenges: Worry, Stress and Anxiety
About the Workshop:
There is an increase in children, at younger ages, being referred to mental health professionals for anxiety related problems. This workshop will look at anxiety through a developmental lens and explore how adults can help children to prevent or reduce the impact and prevalence of anxiety disorders and increase resilience.
Facilitated by: Pamela Tobin & Cristi Oldfield Lindsay
WHEN: Monday, September 13th
WHERE: Limited in person seating is available and will be offered first come/first served. Access is also provided via ZOOM. Details will be provided after registration is received.
COST: $20.00
Alpha Children
About the Workshop:
A growing number of children (and youth) are presenting as demanding, prescriptive, bossy and controlling. They are unable to follow the lead or direction of adult care providers. Alpha children can be challenging to manage and, by their nature, are more likely to present with troubling behaviour. This is making the child-adult dance much more difficult than it used to be or needs to be, despite the plethora of advice-giving and strategies available today. Internationally renowned developmental psychologist Dr. Neufeld uncovers the surprising roots of the alpha complex and in doing so, opens the doors for lasting change: in the family, in care settings, in the classroom and in society.
This video-course has been developed by internationally renowned developmental psychologist Dr. Gordon Neufeld, a best-selling and award-winning author. His revolutionary yet scientific approach turns parenting right-side up, restoring natural intuition to parenting and putting parents back in the driver`s seat. His book, Hold On To Your Kids is causing an international stir and is now available in eight languages. This video-course takes the best that science has to offer and renders it readily accessible to parents and care providers of children of all ages. Dr. Neufeld’s approach has won powerful endorsements from such luminaries as Dr. Daniel Siegel, Dr. Mary Pipher, Raffi, Dr. Peter Levine and Robert Bly.
For information about Dr. Neufeld or his approach visit his website: www.neufeldinstitute.com
Facilitated by: Debbie Cybulski, RSW
WHEN: Tuesdays, October 5th – October 26th (4 Sessions) 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm via ZOOM
COST: $120.00
Click here to register and pay
Financial assistance may be available to families with children attending Fernwood Child Care/Out of School Care Programs.
Reading Challenges: Assessment & Multi-Sensory Approaches
About the Workshop:
Many children struggle with learning to read. This workshop will help parents to identify/assess their child’s reading challenges and how to support their continued development using approaches that remediate challenges and foster confidence. While more in depth assessment may be necessary at some point during a child’s education, this workshop is designed to assist parents and care providers before or after formal assessments.
Facilitated by: TBD
WHEN: Saturday October 2nd 10 am – 12 pm via ZOOM
COST: $30.00
Common Challenges: Aggression and Self Control
About the Workshop:
While temper tantrums are part and parcel of the growing up developmental process, for many reasons, some children can experience intense emotional reactions (at any age) that leave adults bewildered, triggered, frustrated or questioning what to do. Often, typical strategies do not seem to have an effect and in many cases, make the situation worse. This workshop will explore the roots of aggression, how self control and impulse control are developed and how we can assist the developmental process.
Facilitated by: Pam Tobin & Cristi Oldfield Lindsay
WHEN: Wednesday, September 29th th 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
COST: $20.00
Attention Challenges and Self Regulation
About the Workshop:
Raising children is challenging enough without the often contradictory and anxiety provoking, information about attention challenges. This workshop will provide the opportunity to deepen their understanding of how attention and self regulation are achieved, the challenges that can arise and how we can assist the process.
Our objective is to provide parents with the opportunity to:
- Share their concerns and triumphs
- Connect with others experiencing similar challenges
- Deepen their understanding of attention challenges
- Understand how parents can positively influence their child’s behavior and resilience.
Facilitated by: Debbie Cybulski, RSW
WHEN: November 8th, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
COST: $20.00
Challenging Behaviors: Counterwill
About the Workshop:
Our instinct as humans when feeling coerced or demanded upon (positive or negative) by another is to push-back or do the opposite of what is being asked. Whether a toddler, teen or partner in marriage, this expression of ‘will’ is innately alive in us. Why? It is an expression of a basic universal principle: for every force there is an equal and opposite counterforce. It is a defensive, instinctive reaction to perceived control or coercion. Because this reaction lives deeply within a family of instincts, it is rarely the “on purpose” response it can appear to be. The more we communicate our ‘will’ with our children concerning their behavior, the more likely it will call for push-back (No!). This can feel frustrating and triggering for those raising or working with children and can lead to interactions that may feel counterintuitive and exhaustive!
Join us for an introductory discussion to make sense of the reactions we face in relationship with our children’s counterwill and to find ways to support healthy development. Further opportunities to explore this important dynamic will be offered to those interested.
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Facilitated by: Pam Tobin & Cristi Oldfield Lindsay
WHEN: October 27th 6:30-8:30 pm via ZOOM
COST: $20.00
Adolescence
About the Workshop:
Growing into our maturity or crossing the bridge from childhood to adulthood is a naturally turbulent, often confusing, and challenging transition. It can also be a very misunderstood passage, both by the adolescent and the adults in their care. For this reason, many are not making the voyage across, and are facing the consequences of this arrested maturity. Join us to discuss how we can equip our teens (and ourselves) to support and trust the developmental process that was meant to deliver them to their full potential.
Facilitated by: Pam Tobin
WHEN: November 24th 6:30 pm-8:30 pm
COST: $20.00
Resource Centre
Due to the volume of visitors, appointments or visits are by appointment only. Please call the centre to book a convenient time to visit. Weekend and evening scheduling is available.
Our resource centre has a lending library with the large number of resources on learning disabilities and related topics. Please note that the annual membership to borrow materials is $10.00. Please click here to download our Library Application Form for more details.
Our centre is located at:
Unit 5-744 Bay Street
Victoria BC
V8T 5E4
Please feel free to book an appointment by calling the resource centre or by emailing info@ldasvi.bc.ca.