Family Literacy
Project READ is supportive of parents who wish to improve their knowledge and skills to foster emerging literacy in their children. PRLN defines “family literacy” as: Parents actively helping themselves and their children to become lifelong learners through a wide variety of daily activities.
We provide our “Let’s Play Literacy” booklet to parents and others who are looking for literacy tips. The 16-page booklet contains information to make literacy play fun and interactive for babies to preschoolers. It includes the following topics: 3 key literacy messages, helping your child when you are not a good reader, reading with your child, choosing books for different ages, getting ready for literacy, talking to the school, and activities for babies, infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
PRLN defines “family literacy programming” as: Programs that focus on building the already-present strengths within families by working with the parents to aid in their child’s literacy skills and their own literacy skills. By using supports from adult literacy, early childhood education, and family support, family literacy programs help parents to support their children as they develop literacy and math skills that will provide a foundation for the child’s future success. The programs proactively provide emotionally-centred and relationship-based strategies in which parents learn to support and mentor their children in daily activities in order to create lifelong learners.”
We offer a 10-week family literacy program called Get Set Learn to parents and children living on welfare. The program’s mission statement: Get Set Learn is a holistic family literacy program that provides a foundation for families with literacy challenges to experience successful lifelong learning.
The program helps parents to re-enter education and to foster early learning in their children. This innovative and highly successful program is funded by the Regional Municipality of Waterloo Social Services at several community locations in the region. The program is based on our publication “Literacy is a Family Affair” that outlines how to deliver family literacy workshops through community partnerships.
In September 2008, we published the complete curriculum package, “Get Set Learn: Everything You Need to Run a Family Literacy Program” to share with literacy and community agencies. You can download it from “Our Publications” page (under the Resources tab) or from the National Adult Literacy Database – www.nald.ca. We partner with Our Place Family Resource and Early Years Centre, Stanley Park Community Centre and Cambridge Self Help Food Bank to reach families in Waterloo Region with the message of life long learning. Contact Lorri Sauve, our Family Literacy Coordinator, at 519-893-7597 or familyliteracy@projectread.ca for more information.
Please click here to see a video about our Get Set Learn family literacy program as reported by Leslie Gordon of CTV Southwestern Ontario.
Project READ also offers Get Set Learn Afterschool, (GSLA) our newest family literacy program for families struggling with literacy and language. Offered at local elementary schools and community centres, this program involves the whole family in learning together. This innovative approach seeks to support families to become “learning units” with life long learning for all ages. This program is dependent upon community partnerships and donations. This fall 2011, Project READ, in partnership with Cambridge Self Help Food Bank, will sponsor a session of GSLA at Manchester Public School. Contact Lorri, our Family Literacy Coordinator, at 519-893-7597 or familyliteracy@projectread.ca for more information.
Our founding partners of GSLA include: Our Place Family Resource and Early Years Centre, Kitchener Public Library, Stanley Park Community Centre and Howard Robertson Public School. We are currently seeking donations and sponsorships to deliver this program in the community during 2011 – 2012. Please contact us directly or donate online through the “CanadaHelps” button. Thank you! View a parent testimonial about Get Set Learn Afterschool - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B25koniwNT4
What do families gain from participating in our family literacy programs? In an independent evaluation, it revealed that parents and children had:
- Increased knowledge and skills regarding how to foster emergent literacy and home literacy activities
- Increased reading, writing and math activities at home
- Increased confidence and more positive attitudes towards learning and school
- Increased awareness of their own Essential Skills and how they are used at work, home and in the community
How can you help a young child get ready for reading and writing?
