Parents

This purpose of document, compiled by the Edmonton-based Centre for Family Literacy, is to provide as comprehensive a listing as possible of family literacy programs operating in communities across Alberta. It includes information on the programs funded through Alberta Advanced Education and Technology’s Parent-Child Literacy Strategy, as well as programs funded through other sources.

This is a guide for community-based practitioners who want to deliver literacy workshops to parents of infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The authors encourage practitioners to tailor their workshops to meet the needs and interests of their particular group.

The authors have included information on planning a workshop, tips for leading a session, and suggestions for accessing resources in the community.

This booklet is aimed at parents and caregivers who want to use talking, rhyming and singing to help children build strong language skills. The authors have included dozens of rhymes and songs, many with suggestions for actions to accompany them.

For a copy of a CD containing the songs, please contact the Council.

This how-to kit, prepared by the NWT Literacy Council, focuses on how music can be used to promote literacy. It includes ideas for making musical instruments and props; suggestions for children’s CDs; an annotated list of books based on songs; and suggestions for books adults can turn to for learning activities.

This report stems from the Access and Support to Education and Training Survey (ASETS) conducted between June and October 2008 by Statistics Canada in partnership with Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC).

There are a million ways to encourage kids to get involved in language, literacy and learning. Many of the day to day things that we do with our children have a huge impact on their development.

This booklet is a collection of songs and rhymes that parents and children can enjoy together. By singing, dancing and playing with their child, parents help develop their child's language and help better prepare him or her for school.

When parents and children sing together, the child learns to listen; to wait for his or her turn; to imitate gestures, sounds and words; and learns new words and actions.

Science is a fun way to introduce pre‐schoolers to the world around them. Science activities allow children to ask questions, expand their vocabulary, use their five senses to explore different things, and most of all, have fun while learning. This How‐to‐Kit provides an opportunity to engage families in developing positive attitudes towards science. The activities are easy, fun and hands‐on.

Children whose parents have low literacy skills are at a higher risk to grow up to have low literacy skills themselves. This case study details a successful family literacy program in the Waterloo Region of Ontario called Get Set Learn! This program targeted parents on Ontario Works (a welfare program) with pre-school aged children in hopes of breaking the cycle of being disadvantaged because of parental low literacy levels.

Get Set Learn is a family literacy program that focuses on both parents and their children and stresses the importance of reading with your child on a daily basis, engaging in literacy play and being a literacy role model. Get Set Learn was developed in 2003 to give parents with low literacy skills the tools and strategies to enable them to help their children succeed in school.