Family Literacy Program
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Family Literacy Day 2009
Special thanks to Sherri Fitch posing with CALA staff
after a very successful event in Bible Hill
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What is Family Literacy?
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Family literacy is the sharing of experiences and meanings through reading and numeracy activities within the context of family living.
Since parents are their children's first and most important teachers in the cycle of learning, their responsibility to support and enhance the child's positive learning experiences from infancy to adulthood cannot be overstated. Family literacy has been determined to be the strongest element in shaping lives.
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"In the moment of chanting a lullaby, telling a poem or story, or the reading out loud of a book, there is the creation of a "safe place". Every child deserves this. It is their birthright." - Sheree Fitch
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CALA Family Literacy Program Locations
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CALA's family literacy initiative in rural Colchester County is in its seventh year. Programs have been delivered in Upper Stewiacke, Stewiacke, Brookfield, Bass River, and Great Village, most recently for the past year.
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Family Literacy Day
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Every year Colchester Adult Learning Association sponsors an exciting intergenerational Family Literacy Day celebration. This gala event in January sees families in our region coming together to share unforgettable stories, music, and magic.
A wonderful time is guaranteed.
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Why Are Family Literacy Programs Important?
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The first five years of life are a period of unparalleled growth in a child's development. Support for reading and language development during these crucial years can set the foundation for literacy. Children need partners in this learning process and during the pre-school years the most important teachers in a child's life are parents, siblings, grandparents and other family members who are with the child everyday.
Family Literacy programs give parents the information and tools they need to share their existing knowledge, and to weave books, stories, and reading into their everyday routines. Family Literacy programs provide families with:
- information on libraries and library programs
- assistance in selecting age appropriate books
- modeling good book-sharing behaviour
- support if they need help with their own literacy skills
- book and literacy resources in their community
- literacy support for families of children with special needs
A child is born with all the brain cells needed for life. What they are missing are the right connections from one nerve cell to the next. Literacy activities such as rhymes, songs, and reading help form connections in the parts of the brain that will be critical later in life.
The creation of songs, rhymes, and stories are gifts that do not cost money but will pass on values and culture, and make a difference over the lifetime of the child. A simple concept that does powerful things.
It is never too early to start singing songs, saying rhymes and telling stories, as children need to hear thousands of repetitions to develop language. Babies can hear sounds in the womb and by 7 months they can hear quite well. (CBC Atlantic/Nova Scotia, February 10 2003, Video)
Not all families know how and when to read, sing, tell stories or say rhymes to children. Many families believe that literacy and learning begin when the child attends school. Family Literacy programs help to change perceptions of when to start to engage in these activities with a child. In addition, many adults in Family Literacy programs find personal development and make connections to other adult learning opportunities.
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"The most important thing in the first years of life is the growth of the mind and spirit. This is when a child learns to love and trust, to speak and listen. Trusting, singing, laughing, and language are the most important things in a young child's life." - Rosemary Wells, "Read to Your Bunny", Scholastic 1997
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Visit the CALA Blog for Family Literacy related articles and information.
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Donate On-line:
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Contact Us:
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Colchester Adult
Learning Association
36 Arthur Street
Forrester Hall, Room 127
Truro, Nova Scotia
CANADA B2N 1X5
Tel/Fax: (902) 895-2464
E-MAIL CALA
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![Colchester Adult Learning Association [CALA]](./images/calamast.jpg)
