This document outlines the establishment of the Aboriginal Parent Roles Interacting with Teacher Support (APRINTS) project in Saskatoon, a family literacy program designed to enhance children’s learning through play, drawing, writing, sharing books, talking and storytelling.

The project was initiated by the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Literacy Network after a 2005 study that showed that 63 per cent of urban Aboriginal people in that province scored below level 3 on the International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS), compared with 39 per cent of the non-Aboriginal population. The APRINTS program tries to engage parents by helping them value and explore their Aboriginal heritage; understand and become aware of their own strengths as parents; understand their vital role in their children’s learning; and make links between aspects of traditional Aboriginal culture and their children’s literacy development.

The authors describe the process of training facilitators for the program. Testimonials from some of the parents who have taken part in the program are also included.