Kindergarten students across B.C. will now take part in early literacy screening to help identify reading challenges sooner, including signs of dyslexia and other learning disabilities.
Education Minister Lisa Beare says starting school should be a time of excitement, but for some children, it’s also when learning difficulties first appear. She says screening helps teachers spot those challenges early, before small struggles grow into bigger barriers.
The brief assessments will give educators a better picture of each child’s literacy development and allow for more targeted support. Dyslexia Canada’s Alicia Smith says the screenings will help teachers plan for the whole class while ensuring students who need extra help don’t fall behind.
The province plans to expand the program to include all students from kindergarten to Grade 3 in the coming years, with a standardized B.C. screening tool.
The initiative is part of a $30-million investment over three years to strengthen literacy supports for all children.
