Janet Shively

Communication gaps between health care providers and people with limited literacy or English language skills create a major barrier to improving health outcomes for many Canadian families.

In recent years, family literacy providers across Canada have developed guidelines and quality standards for family literacy programs to ensure they support the needs of a wide range of families in a wide range of communities. This article focuses on five central statements of principle that form the foundation of promising practice in family literacy. Each statement is followed by examples of its implementation in actual programs.