• We were told about a number of intervention strategies relating to early childhood development and focusing on preschool and grades 1 through 4:
  • intense and structured one-to-one reading program with grade one students (Reading Recovery)
  • preschool programs and liberal childcare policies
  • preschool interventions with a speech pathologist for early language problems
  • individual phonological evaluations in kindergarten
  • School District surveys to identify problem areas
  • assistance for elementary teachers that includes a “best practices” guide about how to focus on balanced literacy
  • in-service literacy teacher training (i.e. how to teach reading) for teachers from Grade 7 to 12
  • library reading and story time programs

Family Literacy Programming…

“Parents are perhaps the strongest role models and influence in the home on attitudes of their children toward the importance of literacy.” – Participant in the Workforce Literacy Practitioner Survey

“Why is (the school system) failing? Less parental responsibility, less family structure.” – Educator During Consultation

• Throughout the province, there are intergenerational literacy programs – where children read with parents, grandparents, siblings, or caregivers.

• Many communities seem to have one or more family literacy programming strategies in place. In many instances there has been a demonstration of strong community support and awareness for these programs.

• We were told that the main challenges with these programs are threefold: 1) tenuous program funding; 2) covering participants’ transportation and childcare costs; and 3) reaching the “highest risk” parents and families.

Youth and Work-Readiness Programming…

“We need industry going into schools and informing students of what’s out there in the job market and what they’re going to need to succeed.” – Employer in the Supplemental Business/Labour Telephone Survey

• There is a need for transition programs for youth with behavior problems. One example that was given was a pre-employment program for youth with low abilities.

• Some community-based literacy groups are only mandated to help adults – and yet they are aware of huge literacy issues for teens.