December 2010

Contact us201 11456 Jasper Ave NW Edmonton, AB T5K 0M1 T 780.421.READ (7323) Toll free 1.866.421.7323 F 780.421.7324 E info@famlit.ca W www.famlit.ca

Our Mission Statement:

The Centre for Family Literacy

builds, develops and improves

literacy with families and

communities.

Continued on page 2

The Centre’s history goes much further back than 2001. We began as an organization called Prospects Literacy Association in 1980. Prospects delivered the first volunteer adult tutor program in Alberta. In addition to this program, Prospects supported the development of training for literacy practitioners and helped to set up a provincial development organization, Literacy Coordinators of Alberta.

Prospects piloted its first family literacy program in 1983. Within five years it had begun to deliver a wide range of family literacy programs that helped parents support their children’s literacy development, while also assisting parents with their own literacy skills.

In 1998, in partnership with Success by 6®, University of Alberta, United Way of Alberta

Capital Region and Alberta Learning, Prospects undertook a needs assessment with the literacy community. From this extensive consultation came the recommendation that a centre for family literacy be created with a provincial mandate to provide family literacy training, information, promotion, resources and research.

Prospects Literacy Association transferred all of its assets, staff and programs to the Centre for

Family Literacy Society of Alberta in January 2001 and a new era began.

The Centre was, and still is, seen as a pioneer in developing innovative programs that focus on the positive, on expanding the abilities of parents and children to build their confidence and skills. We

are at the forefront of training and recently spearheaded the development of a curriculum for a Certificate program in Family Literacy in partnership with Vancouver Community College and Conestoga College.

Pursue Your Dreams is the theme of the year-long celebration the Centre has planned for 2011. This is a golden opportunity to celebrate our accomplishments over the past decade and to look forward to the next ten years.

Our vision is of a healthy, literate society where all are able to contribute and succeed. Pursue Your Dreams is much more than a theme; it embodies our belief that the holistic approach of family literacy is the foundation of fulfilling one’s dreams.

It’s Celebration Time!

It just seems like yesterday, but it was 10 years ago this coming January, on Family Literacy Day, that the Centre for Family Literacy

was officially launched with our patron, the Honourable Lois Hole, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. Along with more than 150 guests, Mrs. Hole and Minister of Justice Dave Hancock were treated to a demonstration of our Rhymes that Bind program by young moms and their babies from the Terra Association.

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A Few of our AccomplishmentsContinued

National Family Literacy Day® CelebrationsMake grocery shopping fun for the whole family! Join us at four Sobeys stores and participate in the great grocery Scavenger Hunt.

Date: Saturday, January 22, 2011

Time: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

locations: Check our website for store locations

Exploring Family LiteracyVisiting a museum, the zoo, an art gallery or taking a walk in your neighbourhood are great ways for parents and children to practice their literacy skills. The Exploring Family Literacy Activity Booklet is full of ideas you can use in the community or at home.

This booklet is part of the Centre for Family Literacy’s 10th Anniversary Celebrations and will be available at the National Family Literacy Day® celebrations as well as other events throughout the year.

2001 – Established the Centre For Family Literacy

2002 – Created family literacy resources including videos, promotional kits and how-to guides for family literacy practitioners

2003 – Developed literacy training for workers in child care centers, family day home providers and frontline agencies

2004 – Launched the Alberta Prairie Classroom on Wheels (C.O.W.) Bus and distributed thousands of books through the Aboriginal Family Resource Project

2005 – Celebrated the 25th anniversary of the founding program, the Adult Tutor Program

2006 – Added Book Buddies and Multicultural Book Buddies as new programs

2007 – Established the Lois Hole Memorial Literacy Awards and the Family Literacy Regional Network

2008 – Developed Aboriginal Storysacks and Multicultural Rhymes that Bind programs to support and reflect our community’s diversity

2009 – Piloted two Workplace Family Literacy projects and a 36-week Learning Together program

2010 – Hosted Cultivating Connections, a national family literacy conference

DonateYou can help make a difference in the lives of Alberta families by supporting the Centre for Family Literacy.

There are several ways to give including a one-time donation or a monthly donation. Your donation can be done online through CanadaHelps at www.canadahelps.org.

www.famlit.ca

The Centre for Family Literacy gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support of the following:

An Edmonton Community

of LifELong LEArnErs

Online donations to the Centre can be made through CanadaHelps.org

Decade Old Program Still A Success

In September 2000 a big yellow school bus painted to look like a cow began to visit neighbourhoods in Edmonton on a weekly basis. The C.O.W. (Classroom on Wheels) Bus was a Success by 6®initiative with

the Centre delivering the program.

The C.O.W. bus is a bookmobile that offers an opportunity for families with little resources to borrow books for free. Informal book sharing, story telling, singing and modeling of literacy strategies provide parents with the knowledge they need to support their children’s learning. According to Dr. Ruth Hayden, Professor Emeritus, University of Alberta: “This is a striking example of how impressive outcomes result from a simple concept.”

In December of 2005 Success by 6® decided to transition out of programming, and the Centre took ownership of the bus. The Centre knew that the program was doing far more for families than only supporting their literacy development. One parent mentioned that, for her, “getting to talk with other adults was the most important part of the program. I have been so alone for so long with my children; this program was a life saver for me.”

In the past ten years, the C.O.W. Bus program has touched the lives of thousands of parents and children in Edmonton. Many of the family members who participate in the C.O.W. program develop life-long reading habits. The comment of one parent sums it up: “because of this program, I am reading more myself and reading more to my children. Even my husband is reading more. It’s great.”

Save the Date!Leading with Literacy Breakfast Pursue Your Dreams

Date: Thurs., Jan. 27, 2011

Time: 7 – 9 a.m.

Place: Westin Hotel, Edmonton

Keynote Speaker: Councillor Don Iveson

The Lois Hole Memorial Literacy Awards will be presented at the breakfast

Purchase tickets online at www.leadingwithliteracy.eventbrite.com

Check Us Out on Facebook & YouTubeKeep up to date on news, activities and research – become a friend of the Centre for Family Literacy on Facebook & YouTube. Just go to our website and click on the icons to stay in touch with what is happening.

“It has been a great place for my kids to come and be with other kids and discover how great books are.”

“I love the C.O.W. It has helped me and my children develop a love of books in such a nice atmosphere.”

In June 2009 the original bus was put out to pasture and a new bus with a very pink nose hit the streets.

need for a simple format, clear language and progression between levels, practical and relevant examples at each level, and around six levels total. From the research undertaken on other provincial benchmarks and the needs of Alberta learners and facilitators, the committee adopted a six-level matrix based on IALS (International Adult Literacy Survey).

The focus of this project is now on developing a curriculum that will support these benchmarks, including the adaption of existing materials, tools and resources, and the production of new ones. Ultimately, this curriculum will give learners in literacy programs meaningful information about their reading skill levels, providing them with a way of understanding and measuring their own progress. It will also ensure that those delivering the programs will have the training, information and resources they need to implement these benchmarks and support their adult learners.

The Centre for Family Literacy is dedicated to helping Alberta grow and prosper. Our innovative programs, training and research help Alberta families achieve what they imagine—improved education, jobs and health.

Privacy PolicyIf you do not wish to receive Centre Page or information about the Centre for Family Literacy, you may call, write or e-mail us. A copy of our privacy policy can be found on our website at www.famlit.ca

literacy Develops in Families First

www.famlit.caCentre for Family literacy

Consistent and reliable assessment tools and measures of learner progress are important to adult literacy programs. “Establishing

Alberta Adult Literacy Benchmarks”, a multi-year project funded by Alberta Advanced Education and Technology, was created in 2010 based on the key Priority Actions of the Government of Alberta plan for foundational learning called “Living Literacy: A Literacy Framework for Alberta’s Next Generation Economy”. The Centre for Family Literacy is on the Advisory Committee, led by Bow Valley College, along with the Community Learning Network, Literacy Alberta, Northern Lakes College, Advanced Education and Technology, and Employment and Immigration.

There are two primary objectives of this project: to establish a provincial system of adult reading levels, or benchmarks, and to provide key supports for their implementation. The first stage was to explore the work undertaken by other provinces that have already established benchmarks. Once this information was compiled, input was sought from various literacy practitioners throughout the province, representing Alberta’s diversity of programs and people using them.

Practitioners of a variety of programs including volunteer tutor, community adult learning, family literacy, and aboriginal literacy, as well as community colleges, were consulted, and their feedback has formed the framework for the project outcomes. The most consistent messages that emerged from these dialogues were the

Establishing Adult Literacy Benchmarks in Alberta

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