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Funds were obtained this year to revise the Train the Facilitator Program for PRINTS so that it corresponds to the PRINTS Facilitator materials which were revised in 2005. This will allow facilitators to engage in self-training and will lessen the need for training workshops.
The PRINTS Program was piloted in 1994-95 and has been operating ever since, having spread from Newfoundland and Labrador to many other regions of the country and beyond. The Program has a strong theoretical base of 5 STEPS and 5 ROLES.
Tamara recently e-mailed to let me know she had a successful experience with PRINTS. Tamara, who is a teacher's aide, worked directly with children in Junior and Senior Kindergarten, using a variety of the PRINTS Activities. Tamara varied the program by introducing crafts.
The Revised PRINTS is off the press. A major change is that there are now 2 levels of Parent's Handbooks: Ages 0 to 2, and Ages 3 to 6. While the earlier version of PRINTS was intended for all pre-school age levels, there were few Activities for the very young children.
St. Edward's School, Kelligrews is one school that reaches out to parents. The PRINTS Program was initiated at St. Edwards by Ms. Toni Doyle, and is continued by other staff and support, particularly, Ms. Colleen Reid, Kindergarten teacher.
PRINTS Family Literacy Network was a recipient of the Canada Post Community Leadership Award for 2004. The Award was presented at the Delta Hotel, St. John's, NL, the event being co-sponsored by the Literacy Development Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Canada Post.
Una Hynes is the pioneer who initiated PRINTS in the Salmonier, St. Mary's Bay, area, from Admiral's Beach to North Harbour North. Una likes to be creative in adding different activities, one of which is the Story Quilt.
The Canada National Longitudinal Study of Children and Youth (NLSCY) began collecting data in 1994 on children from newborns to age eleven. This study enables us to look at the growth and development of children over a period of twelve years.
The Ontario Literacy Coalition has chosen PRINTS as one of the family literacy programs to be piloted on a province wide basis. Cellan Jay of the Coalition has been instrumental in getting this project underway.
The PRINTS Program is now almost six years old. It grew out of a study that showed that families and schools were not always on the same "wave length" and frequently misunderstood each other's role. PRINTS was an attempt to bridge the gap between homes and schools.