June 2005

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Community Literacy of Ontario

Family Literacy Partnerships

Community Literacy of Ontario received funding from the National Literacy Secretariat to deliver Foundational Training in Family Literacy via a series of online workshops from January to June 2005. In addition, CLO is researching and writing two bulletins on effective family literacy partnerships. This is the second of the two bulletins; the first was published in January 2005. If you haven't already seen it, you can find it at www.nald.ca/PROVINCE/ONT/CLO/NEWSLET/family/
jan05/jan05.pdf.

In this bulletin, you will have an opportunity to hear about family literacy partnerships and initiatives all across Ontario. Let's start in Wawa, where there are a lot of partnerships going on.

WAWA

• Parents and Children Together (PACT) groups were held in the dining room of several local restaurants.
  
  
• Space for parent/child groups at a geared to income housing complex is provided at no charge. An outreach program from the Ontario Early Years Centre meets there weekly.
  
  
• Local school boards support family literacy week by paying for double sided bookmarks that promote literacy.
  
  
• Local school boards provide space for Fractured Fairy Tales and Spring Fling events at no charge.
  
  
• Local doctors, public health nurses and nurse practitioners deliver Books for Babies packages.
  
  
• The local tourism centre allows the community-based literacy agency to sell used books to support family and adult literacy programming.
  
  
• The local public library is a partner in several events and they provide children's books for the reading tent.
  
  
• The local library also hosts a book draw during family literacy week.
  
  
• Ontario Early Years and the community-based literacy program partner for the Borrow a Book reading program in local elementary schools.
  
  
• Eat to Learn (Breakfast for Learning program) provides an Alphabet Soup lunch for all elementary school students.