Editorial

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. A recent publication on this study (Vulnerable Children, J. Douglas Willms, Ed., The University of Alberta Press, Edmonton) of 444 pages provides considerable data. I will highlight a few significant points.

The study distinguishes "at risk" from "vulnerability" which allows us to view children's growth and development from a different perspective. "At risk" refers to factors which may interfere with a child's growth and development, including literacy development. Poverty is one such factor. "Vulnerability" is based on how families deal with at risk factors, the resources they can muster to deal with challenges and interferences in their lives. For example, while two families may have similar incomes, one may have more supports than the other and therefore their children are not as vulnerable as in the other family. The study clearly points out the importance of community supports. This is something we as educators/ facilitators must realize. There is little point in providing a family literacy program to enable parents to help their young children if that program is offered at a site outside the community and parents have no transportation. Without transportation, these families are at risk and the children are vulnerable to not developing a solid literacy foundation.

"Poor families and single-parent mothers are unfairly characterized as lacking parental skills and being less engaged with their children" (p. 350). What makes them vulnerable is that they often do not have sufficient time to spend with their young children, and/or they do not have the skills or resources for fostering the children's literacy development.

The NLSCY Study also reports that successful communities "are those that succeed in bolstering the outcomes of their least advantaged children" (p.352). Successful communities are those where parents feel an identity with other parents, where they cooperate with each other, and where their norms and values include high levels of literacy and education for their children. The facilitators of any family literacy program, no matter where offered, must first understand the community. Some communities have very few resources for supporting early literacy development. Others, and these also include communities of low-income, have strong intra-community networks and successful literacy programs, sometimes run by parents themselves. For outside agencies to ignore what communities have to offer is a big mistake. Outside agencies, including government and schools, must also recognize that no two communities are alike - "the one program does not fit all". The community, its strengths, and resources must always come first in providing support for parents to support their children' s literacy learning.
Bill Fagan

Youth Group engaged in the Activity "Book Knowledge"

Youth Groups and PRINTS

A Youth Services Canada project at MacMorran Community Centre, St. John's, NL participated in PRINTS training this year. Kim Foley and Helena Stevenson, two parents from the community, who have been facilitators of PRINTS in the community for several years, were the facilitators for the youth group. The youth group ranged in ages from 18-29. Some were parents of young children; however, all had opportunities to interact with young children, either nephews, nieces, or as babysitters. All found the program valuable and as one participant said, "It will certainly help when I have a child".