National Adult Literacy Database

FREDERICTON, N.B. – Marie-Claire Pître, an employee of the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD), has been honoured with a Dr. Marilyn Trenholme Counsell Early Childhood Literacy Award. The 2010 awards were presented recently during a ceremony hosted by Lieutenant-Governor Graydon Nicholas at Government House in Fredericton.

LITERACY AWARD PRESENTATION: Dr. Marilyn Trenholme Counsell Early Childhood Literacy Awards were presented recently at Government House in Fredericton, N.B. From left are Education Minister Jody Carr, Dr. Trenholme Counsell, award recipient Marie-Claire Pître, and Lt.-Gov. Graydon Nicholas.

Marie-Claire was selected for the work she does to boost early childhood literacy on her weekly radio show ‘Chouette et Papillons’ (Owl and Butterflies) on radio station CJPN 90.5 FM in Fredericton. The French-language production is broadcast locally on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. and on Sundays at 8 a.m. It also has a national audience through the network Réseau francophone d’Amérique.

"I grew up in a northern New Brunswick family where reading was very important,” said Marie-Claire. “We also listened to the wonderful radio stories of “Tante Lucille” which were broadcast from New Carlisle, Quebec."

When Marie-Claire’s own children were young, however, there was very little in French in the form of music and stories for children, she said.

Now, she is always watching for possible resources and program ideas of interest to children for her radio show and is passing along, through the air waves, some of the joy she felt as a child.

Clara-Rose, Marie-Claire’s young daughter, has served as her mother’s “muse” since the show began in 2004. At 10, she is often on hand to do voice-overs and represents Chouette (the owl) made famous, of course, through the title of the 30-minute program.

As the show’s producer and narrator, Marie-Claire says she strives to make the experience fun, happy and entertaining for children.

"If fostering an interest in music and a love of reading happens also, then that’s part of my plan. I encourage children to read and want them to discover that books can be their best friend. Reading is freedom and the gateway to learning."

When Marie-Claire is not volunteering for her radio show, she works in research and communications for NALD. "NALD has expanded my vision of literacy and I am impressed with the scope of literacy efforts in general and in Canada. There is, however, lots of work to be done to help Canadians with low levels of literacy and essential skills."

The Dr. Marilyn Trenholme Counsell Early Childhood Literacy Awards are offered annually by the Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick and la Fédération d’alphabétisation du N.-B. The program was initiated by Dr. Trenholme Counsell when she served as lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick.

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NALD contact and writer:

Christy English
Research and Communications Officer
Tel: 506-462-5034 or toll-free 1-800-720-6253
Email: christy.english@nald.ca