Early Learning
Learning is not an individual act but happens in relationship with people, materials, and place.
All aspects of children’s learning and growing are interconnected and overlapping.
BC Early Learning Framework
Play is the foundation of learning, creativity,
self-expression, and constructive problem-solving.
It’s how children wrestle with life
to make it meaningful.
Susan Linn
Surrey schools offer a variety of rich learning opportunities that support early learning and healthy development for young children, from birth through a child’s entry into Kindergarten. Our initiatives highlight the importance of early literacy and numeracy learning including vibrant oral language and inquiry to support critical and creative thinking. We also celebrate and uphold the importance of responsive adult and peer relationships, exploring nature’s capacity to nurture us, children's identity, voice and expression, and play-based learning environments that foster safe, inclusive spaces where all children and families thrive. We value and support children’s early development across all domains: physical health and well-being; language, communication and cognition; and social and emotional development.
StrongStart Programs
Early years opportunities include StrongStart at 23 different schools throughout the district. There is no cost for caregivers and their children to attend.
For more information and to register, please visit the StrongStart Registration page.
Child Care in Surrey
Please click here for information about independently run preschool and child care programs operating in schools throughout the district.
For more information about child care in the broader community, please visit the child care options website.
For information on the Affordable Child Care Benefit and to find out if you are eligible for this subsidy, please go to the website here.
Ready Set Learn Connect Events in Schools 
Focused on families and their young
children, birth through to school entry, Ready Set
Learn fosters positive connections between
families, schools, and local community agencies such
as Surrey Libraries, Surrey Rec Centres, Metis Family
Services, Child Care Options, Fraser Region Aboriginal
Friendship Centre Association (FRAFCA), and Fraser
Health amongst others.
Elementary schools host these play-based events to
help build children's solid foundation for social, emotional,
and cognitive development throughout their life.
Invitations are posted in the community, and are also communicated through schools. Please call
your local neighbourhood school with any questions about their Ready Set Learn events.
Welcome to Kindergarten Invitations
In the spring schools host various Welcome to Kindergarten events and information sessions
throughout the district. To receive your invitation to your child's school, ensure you register early.
Please contact your child's school with any questions. Have fun exploring their new school!
Kindergarten Registration
For information on Kindergarten registration for the 2024-25 school year please see our fact sheets available in English, Punjabi, Chinese, Arabic and Spanish.
To register for the 2024-25 school year, click here.
If you have questions about the early years, child care or transitions into Kindergarten, please contact Leah Christensen, District Principal.
Information sessions for families of students entering Kindergarten
Kindergarten is an important milestone for students, filled with new discoveries, friendships, and endless possibilities. And we know this time is equally important to parents and caregivers!
To support families as they prepare for Kindergarten, we are excited to offer the Connect to K series of online information sessions. The first session will be in January 2025, Please watch for further links and details soon to come.
Beyond being a simple introduction to Kindergarten, the sessions are a comprehensive resource, providing insights and guidance on navigating the intricacies of the Kindergarten experience. We will also share the abundance of resources across Surrey to support young children's development.
“Children arrive to school filled with amazing potential, and we celebrate each one exactly as they are,” said Leah Christensen, District Principal for Early Learning and Child Care at Surrey Schools.
“We hope to provide families with a perspective about what is most important in a child’s kindergarten year and reassure parents that every school is dedicated to being a welcoming, safe place for all children, including children with diverse abilities and needs.”
Parents and caregivers of students entering Kindergarten in September 2025 will be invited to attend this four part online sessions,
Learn More About:
- StrongStart
- Kindergarten Transitions
- Child Care Programs
- Literacy Learning with your Child
- Numeracy Learning with your Child
- Physical Health and Well-being with your Child
- Family Resource Programs - Impulsive Behaviour
- Active Outdoor Play
- Screen Time and Preschoolers
Ministry of Education and Child Care Resources for Families:
- Early Learning Framework
- Early Learning Framework - A Guide for Families
- Play Today - A Guide for Families
- Let's Play - Activities for Families
- When I Go To Kindergarten
