For more information or to order materials, contact LAPS, Bow River College, 332 – 6th Avenue SE, Calgary, AB, T2G 4S6. Tel: 403-297-4778, Fax: 403-297-4949

“Literacy Initiatives in
Family Resource Programs” Project

The Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs, in partnership with MCL and with support from the NLS, has just launched a project to increase the capacity of family resource programs to support the development of literacy in the families they serve. The goal of the project is to develop materials to help family resource programs to:

• reduce literacy-related barriers within their organizations

• assess literacy needs of their participants

• incorporate literacy-building activities into their current programs and services

• develop new initiatives related to literacy, in partnership with literacy organizations

• help their participants access existing literacy programs within the community

• find further resources and support.

The information will be packaged in a handbook and on the websites of FRP Canada and MCL.

Consultants Lee Weinstein and Suzanne Smythe will carry out the project with guidance from an Advisory Committee drawn from the literacy and family resource communities. For more information, contact the Executive Director, FRP Canada, Tel: 613-728-3307, aivask@frp.ca or Wendy DesBrisay, MCL, Tel: 613-563-2464, wdesbrisay@literacy.ca

As noted in literacy.ca Vol. 1, No. 2, the newsletter of FRP Canada, Play and Parenting Connections, contains information that would be useful and interesting to the family literacy community. The Spring 1999 issue describes two other new FRP Canada projects, both funded by Health Canada’s Population Health Fund. One project will focus on working successfully with fathers of young children. The other will look at how family resource centre staff work with families under stress and with other service providers in cases where issues of child protection may arise. The issue also mentions the Provincial Parenting Education Network in Saskatchewan ( contact Linda Selin at 306-787- 8657) and the Family Educator Certification Program through Family Service Canada (contact FSC, 383 Parkdale Avenue, Suite 404, Ottawa, ON, K1Y 4R4, Tel: 613-722-9006, Fax: 613-722-8610, E-mail: fsc@igs.net, Website: www.cfc-efc.ca/fsc/ ). To subscribe to Play and Parenting Connections, contact CAFRP, 101-30 Rosemount Avenue, Ottawa, ON, K1N 1P4. Tel: Tel: 613-728-3307, Fax: 613-729-5421, E-mail: info@frp.ca

Family Literacy
annotated bibliographies on-line

Literacy BC:
www.nald.ca/PROVINCE/BC/LBC/annotate/Introduction.htm

Literacy Partners of Manitoba:
www.nald.ca/CLR/family.htm