Family Literacy

The Adult Learning Centres are committed to supporting family literacy. The “Leading to Reading” initiative originally assisted school-age children requiring supports over the summertime.

The Bruce Peninsula Adult Learning Centre piloted book bag concepts years ahead of other programs. The Port Elgin Adult Learning Centre developed, produced and delivered a show “Welcome To Words” on local cable television.

The Centres have been active in “books for babies” and “books for Christmas” campaigns over the years. The Spread the Word Learning Festival has focussed on family literacy initiatives.

The Adult Learning Centres have organized and operated a variety of parents and children reading and activity groups. Two of the sites initiated youth mentoring programs in the past.

Staff have also provided many workshops on helping with homework and encouraging family reading. The commitment to family literacy is clearly shown by the Adult Learning Centres’ staffing of the Early Years Literacy Specialist.

When planning its local Early Years Centre, the County of Grey recognized the variety of skills and training that the Adult Learning Centres had in family literacy. A partnership was developed for staffing their Early Years Literacy Specialist position. This partnership supports the overall needs and directives of the Early Years Centre. One benefit is that there is more access to local adult upgrading opportunities.