Parents Get Help for Learning at Home

Eight literacy organizations across the province are getting grants to help parents play a more active role in their children's learning.

The organizations are getting a total of $100,000 through the Family Learning Initiative Endowment Fund. They will use the funding to provide workshops, resources and opportunities for parents and children to work on reading and writing together.

"If books and reading are part of a child's life from the day he or she is born, that child will have a strong foundation for future learning and job opportunities," said Education Minister Jane Purves. "Community support through these organizations will help parents open the door to a lifetime of reading for their children."

The eight organizations receiving endowment fund grants are community-based and non-profit. They provide programs that encourage learning as a family activity. Some also provide upgrading programs for adults who want to improve reading and other skills.

Projects the organizations are developing include reading clubs for parents and children, workshops on parenting skills and preparing children for school, after-school programs for parents to help their children with reading and homework, and resources such as books, tapes and learning activities.

The $2.4 million endowment fund was launched in 1999 by the Halifax Youth Foundation and the National Literacy Secretariat of Human Resources Development Canada. The Department of Education supports the foundation by co-ordinating the review of applications.

"We all have a role to play in helping children develop strong reading and writing skills at an early age," said Hugh Smith, president of the Halifax Youth Foundation. "We're pleased to help parents in their role as their children's first teacher by supporting these community learning organizations."

The eight organizations receiving funding this year are:

• Annapolis County Learning Network
• Apple Tree Landing Community Centre
• Cape Breton Literacy Network Association
• Community Learning Association North of Smokey
• Conseil scolaire acadien provincial
• Family Resource Centre of West Hants
• Pictou County Continuous Learning Association
• Queens Learning Network

Family literacy is part of Nova Scotia's comprehensive approach to developing literacy at all levels -- through the public school system in the early years, and through the Nova Scotia School for Adult Learning and workplace education programs for adult Nova Scotians.