National Adult Literacy Database

Establishing a culture of learning in the home encourages an exchange of ideas, enriches family relationships, and bolsters confidence and independent thinking. On January 27 across Canada thousands of families, literacy groups, schools, libraries and community organizations gathered in their communities to celebrate the importance of literacy and learning in honour of Family Literacy Day – Canada’s largest family literacy initiative.

"As New Brunswickers, we have a responsibility to value reading and acknowledge its importance in every child's development," said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Jody Carr. "The Department ... is taking steps to do things more efficiently, free up resources and focus efforts where they will have the most impact – with our children."

“Literacy isn’t just about reading. It can involve things like watching, listening, observing, and problem solving,” said Minister Jackson Lafferty. “Every time we try something new we’re learning, and that contributes to our literacy, and capacity to continue learning."

The Quebec English Literacy Alliance (QELA) invites all Quebecers to celebrate Family Literacy Day on January 27 by reading and engaging in literacy-related activities.

Literacy opens doors to the world. It is the foundation for continuous learning and a vital characteristic of the highly skilled population needed for Alberta’s next generation economy.

As a parent you can make all the difference in how your child learns to communicate. Children of all ages enjoy songs and rhymes. Here are the words and actions to some popular songs and nursery rhymes which you can enjoy with your child. (Source: Words for Life website/National Literacy Trust - UK)

Experts say it only makes sense for Lego to go after an untapped segment — the company’s own research found only 9 per cent of global households with children identified girls as their primary Lego user. Lego didn’t discover that girls didn’t want to build. It realized that girls didn’t want to build "that." Thus, the arrival of Olivia, Mia and the other girls of Heartlake City.

January 27 was Family Literacy Day and the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) had the opportunity to speak to Sheree Fitch, award-winning Canadian children’s author, about what the learning journey means to her.

McDonald’s UK is handing out around nine million popular children’s books with its Happy Meals, as part of a new partnership with publishing house HarperCollins. The promotion aims to get books into the hands of families and support parents in reading with their children.

Family Literacy Week is a week-long community celebration of storytelling, art, reading and learning in Comox Valley that culminates in Family Literacy Day on January 27. While Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak takes main stage, this year's celebration also includes local celebrities, art shows, roving storytellers and a chance to explore the community.

Young Inuit children are growing up with fast-evolving technology but some parents fear their traditional language skills just can't keep up. That's what inspired one Iqaluit father to create educational software for children in the Inuit language.

For Liam St. John and teens like him all across Ottawa, spoken word poetry is helping them find their voice and express how they feel about difficult things they face in their lives or the world around them. The weekly sessions are also teaching them some literary devices and performance techniques, and giving them each a chance to perform something they’ve written.

Family literacy programs are offered in communities all over Canada and are directed towards parents to provide them with tools and strategies to support their children’s learning on a daily basis.

Participate in the Family Literacy Day Colouring Contest from now until January 31, 2012, for a chance to win one of 13 Family Literacy Day Raise-a-Reader prize packs! If you haven’t already planned your Family Literacy Day activity for this year, this is a great option for everyone to enjoy on January 27.