Revised and Expanded Practitioners' Manual and Facilitators' Guide

Family literacy, while still a relatively new field, continues to gain wide-spread interest and acceptance as a promising cross-sectoral, sustainable approach to family education, support and services. In response to the need for a more systematic and comprehensive approach to professional development in family literacy being expressed by practitioners from literacy organizations and related fields throughout Canada, the Centre for Family Literacy developed Foundational Training in Family Literacy. The first national train-the-trainer event was held in Pictou, Nova Scotia, in October of 2001. It is now six years since the original Foundational Training in Family Literacy was developed, and interest in both family literacy and the need for professional development opportunities have continued to grow across sectors.

With funding from the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, HRSDC, and in partnership with other national and provincial organizations, the original Foundational Training in Family Literacy is being revised and expanded. Now called Foundations in Family Literacy, this practitioner training program will include several new chapters as well as new material that has been incorporated into some of the existing chapters. The sections will be organized into a modular format for delivery in either face-to-face or on-line formats. A few of the sections may be available for "stand-alone" delivery in combination with a new "Introduction to Family Literacy" module, while most will be part of a comprehensive training approach that seeks to integrate the scope of knowledge and skills required for effective family literacy practice.

New sections and partnerships include:

• "Family Literacy and Health" written with support from the Public Health Agency of Canada and the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health, located at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia

• "Effective Practices in Family Literacy for Immigrant and Refugee Families" written with support from the Government of Alberta

• "Family Literacy in Aboriginal Families", written with support from the National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health, located at the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George, B.C.

• Family Literacy and Schools, written with the support of 2010 Legacies Now Literacy Now, in Vancouver, British Columbia

• "Family Literacy and Libraries" written with support from the Government of Alberta

• "Research in Practice for Family Literacy Practitioners" written with support from Human Resources and Social Development Canada

In addition, material from two modules developed by the Saskatchewan Literacy Network and the Shilo Military Family Resource Centre - "Adult Literacy Learning in Family Literacy Programs" and "Family Literacy from a Community Development Perspective" - will be incorporated into existing chapters.

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