Welcome to the Active Start Program. This site is dedicated to the development of Physical Literacy in children with intellectual disabilities.
Active Start is part of the Long Term Athlete Development Program (LTAD), which falls under Sport Canada’s Canadian Sport for Life Initiative (CS4L). With the ultimate aim of promoting fitness, physical literacy, and well-being, the Active Start component is driven by tenets of human growth and development of the 0 to 6 age group.
The objective of this site is to furnish parents, SO regions, teachers, educational assistants, recreation specialists, recreational & occupational therapists, physiotherapists and others involved in Active Start the resources necessary to deliver this worthwhile program.
The program was piloted by the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board. Elmsdale was the scene for the unveiling of the Active Start instructional video.
Now 230 schools across Nova Scotia are part of the Active Start Program, an initiative approved by the Department of Education.
Contacts For Community Programs
Director of Youth Programs – Rachel Skanes – (902) 426-2266 x 3
Active Start regions and contact information:
- Annapolis – Elizabeth Mason-Squires emasonsquires@rowansroom.ca
- Cape Breton (Sydney)- Krista Smith krista.smith@nshealth.ca
- Dartmouth – Dylan Cooper dylan.cooper89@gmail.com
- Dartmouth (Porter’s Lake) – Angela Faber angelafaberso@gmail.com
- Cobequid (Enfield) – Morgan MacNeil morganmacneil9@gmail.com
- Kings – Elizabeth Mason-Squires emasonsquires@rowansroom.ca
- Halifax – Doug Branscombe dougb@bellaliant.net
- Pictou – Crystal Cameron john.crystal@nssympatico.ca
- Sackville/Bedford – Currently no program
Lesson Plans
- Active Start Fundamental Movement Skills – Lesson 1: Running & Dodging
- Active Start Fundamental Movement Skills – Lesson 2: Jumping, Hopping & Skipping
- Active Start Fundamental Movement Skills – Lesson 3: Throwing & Dribbling
- Active Start Fundamental Movement Skills – Lesson 4: Kicking & Catching
- Vitalité – Introduction au savoir-faire physique et en santé (video)
- Action BC Physical Activity Action Resource – Grades K to 7
- Storyboard Image Cards – stop, quiet, etc.
- More Story Board Image Cards – run, hop, etc.
Instructional Videos
- Introduction
- Session 1 – Welcome to Active Start
- Session 2 – Foundational Skills & Balancing
- Session 3 – Running
- Session 4 – Jumping
- Session 5 – Ball Rolling & Underhand Throwing
- Session 6 – Catching & Trapping
- Session 7 – Overhand Throwing & Catching
- Session 8 – Kicking
- Session 9 – Striking
- Session 10 – Advanced Skills