January 2005

Community Literacy of Ontario

Family Literacy Partnerships

Community Literacy of Ontario received funding from the National Literacy Secretariat to deliver Foundational Training in Family Literacy via a series of online workshops from January to June 2005. In addition, CLO is researching and writing two bulletins on effective family literacy partnerships and initiatives. This is the first of the two bulletins. Watch your mailbox in spring 2005 for the second!

In this bulletin, you will learn about exciting partnerships in various parts of Ontario: Waterloo, Sharbot Lake, Kingston, St. Thomas-Elgin and Lambton. We will even make a quick trip to Alberta and learn about partnerships there. Then we will tell you all about some successful partnership strategies. But first, let’s go to Waterloo, Ontario!

“ LITERACY IS A FAMILY AFFAIR”, WATERLOO, ONTARIO

This is the home of “Literacy is a Family Affair”. As the lead member of this partnership, Project READ Literacy Network runs two two-hour long family literacy workshops thanks to sponsorship from the local newspaper, The Record. The workshops are “First Steps” and “Next Steps” and are focused at parents and caregivers with children from newborn to five years of age and from ages six to eight (or Kindergarten to Grade 3) respectively. A pair of paid facilitators leads the workshops, the host site arranges child care, the Network provides snacks (sometimes Starbucks donates coffee) as well as a package of resources, and some resources are also donated by Kindermusik of Cambridge/Kitchener-Waterloo.

The “First Steps” workshop gives an overview of simple strategies that parents can use with their children at home to make it more literacy-rich. The “Next Steps” workshop is geared to helping parents support their school-aged children. It gives ideas on how to share information with the child’s teacher.

Project READ is also involved in another family literacy partnership. This one is called “Get Set Learn”. Together with the Region of Waterloo, Employment Services Division, they offer an 8-week program geared towards parents on Ontario Works. The program’s goal is to help the parents get their children ready for school. Other partners in this project include the Kitchener Early Years Centre which provides space and childcare during the sessions.

For more information about these programs, contact Lorri Sauve at sauvelm@sympatico.ca or Anne Ramsay at Project READ at anne@projectread.ca.