VI. Getting Started

In addition to the information outlined on the following pages, we highly recommend the work of Janet Isserlis, Lee Weinstein, Leslie McCue, and Virginia Sauve as a guide to establishing a family literacy project. The group's publication Commmunity Literacy: an Intergenerational Perspective (Process Guide) contains excellent information on the steps involved in starting a project as well as sample needs assessments, letters to agencies, evaluation documents, and more.

There is a logical order to proceed in developing a family literacy project, just as there is in any program development. What that order is depends largely on your approach to literacy work and your objectives. We have structured the following section based on the view that involving other stakeholders early is essential for building support and ensuring your program meets the needs of your community. It should be noted, however, that many of the following elements are interconnected and would happen concurrently rather than consecutively. For example, building public awareness of the need for and development of family literacy programming in your community should be something that starts immediately and continues throughout the program.

A. Community Collaboration

Literacy in general, and family literacy in particular, concerns much more than supporting reading, writing, and numeracy development. Literacy development is interwoven with the overall growth and well-being of children, parents, adults, families, and communities.

Historically, the needs of adults and children have been fragmented and categorized, met by a diverse and separate array of government departments, social and human service agencies, and educational institutions. This system falls to recognize the interrelated nature of social issues, their solutions, and their cyclical, intergenerational nature.

In recent years, an increasing number of individuals and agencies involved in human service delivery have come to realize the importance, in fact the necessity, of interagency support, cooperation, and collaboration. Some communities have been practicing collaboration for years; for others the recent downturn in the economy and resulting financial restraints and cuts have made it a priority.

In order to realize strong and effective family literacy programs, we must involve and work together with other partners and stakeholders. As the Intergenerational Literacy Project points out in their discussion of the connections between family literacy projects and community-based organizations:

Literacy is a critical strand of community development. Broadly viewed, community development can encompass economic development, housing and neighbourhood concerns, community health and safety, as well as building solidarity within and among diverse groups of people. Community-based organizations work to address needs and issues affecting members of a community; increased access to literacy learning can increase the effectiveness with which this work is done....