Literacy and Youth Foundational Training (LYFT)

What is the LYFT Program?

The Literacy and Youth Foundational Training (LYFT) Program addresses the need for increased educational and social-emotional enrichment during the pre-adolescent ‘transition years’ (grades 4-6) by providing a safe space for growth and empowerment. Through movement, mentoring, literacy and teamwork activities, LYFT aids in educational recovery and support by helping students:

  • Set goals, track progress, and manage expectations

  • Acquire important foundational skills (self-awareness, self/relationship management, decision making, resilience, growth mindset, etc.)

  • Critically reflect on and identify important life themes in fictional stories that are diverse and inclusive

  • Build belonging

LYFT runs once a week for 8 weeks, either after-school or on Saturday, with each session 1.5 hours in length. The program is designed for smaller group sizes of students in grades 4-6. Board-hired tutors facilitate the weekly programming using a curriculum that is fully created and provided by Start2Finish experts through a comprehensive program manual and supporting resources.

Curriculum & Training

The full program curriculum, along with a list of books required to facilitate the program, is supplied by Start2Finish prior to program start. Board-hired tutors are trained by Start2Finish. All tutors are required to complete online and/or in-person training sessions, developed and facilitated by Start2Finish, before beginning the LYFT Program. Additional training is available throughout the term by the S2F Field Manager on an as-needed basis.