Family Literacy Project

Submittedto: GovernmentoftheNorthwestTerritories Submittedby: TheNWTLiteracyCouncil

Name of Project:FamilyLiteracyProject Sponsor group:NWTLiteracyCouncil Goal:FamilyliteracyprovidersinNWTcommunitiesdevelopanddeliverawide rangeoffamilyliteracyprograms. Project Summary TheNWTLiteracyCouncilisaterritorial,nongovernmentorganizationwitha mandatetopromoteandsupportliteracydevelopmentinallofficiallanguagesofthe NWT.Theobjectivesandactivitiesareofthisprojectare: 1. PromotefamilyliteracyintheNWT Developfamilyliteracypublicserviceannouncementstobeairedonlocal radiostationsforFamilyLiteracyDay. Developfamilyliteracypostersthatencouragefamiliestoread,sing,talk andtellstoriestotheirchildren.

2. Developculturallyrelevantresourcestosupportfamilyliteracyinitiativesin allNWTcommunities. DevelopthreeBooksintheHomeKits DevelopanddistributeanannotatedlistofAboriginalliteraturefor children

3. ProvideongoingtrainingtofamilyliteracyfacilitatorsintheNWTtohelp themexpandtheirfamilyliteracyinitiatives. Develop&deliveraFamilyLiteracyLearningSymposiumfor3040 participantsfromNWT. DeliveraFamilyTutoringworkshopintwocommunities. Theexpectedresultsoftheprojectare: Familiesseeandhearinformationaboutfamilyliteracythatisrelevantto theirtraditionsandculture.

Moreculturallyrelevantresourcesavailableforfamilyliteracyprograms. Familyliteracyprovidersexpandtheirfamilyliteracyprograms. Wewillmeasuretheprojectthroughfeedbackfromfamilyliteracyprovidersand throughquantitativeanalysisofourproductsandservices.Theprojectwillproduce afamilyliteracyposter,onepublicserviceannouncementaboutfamilyliteracy,a familyliteracyresourcemanual,anannotatedlistofAboriginalliterature,aFamily LiteracyLearningSymposiumandtwoFamilyTutoringworkshops. Project description Approximately42%ofadultsaged16to65haveliteracylevelsbelowthelevel theyneedtofunctionintodayssociety.ThisisthesameastheCanadian average,butitmeans4outof10peoplefaceliteracychallenges.Althoughthe gapbetweentheliteracylevelsoftheAboriginalandnonAboriginal populationsissignificant.Approximately69%oftheAboriginalpopulation haslowliteracycomparedto30%ofthenonAboriginalpopulation.Oneway tobreakthecycleoflowliteracyisthroughthepromotionoffamilyliteracy. DennyTaylorfirstcoinedthetermfamilyliteracyin1983torefertothe importanceoffamilyrelationshipsinliteracydevelopment(Shively&Thomas, 2002).Familyliteracyprogramsreflectthisimportance:theyrecognizethe influenceofthefamilyontheliteracydevelopmentofallitsmembers,andsupport familiesinbuildingexpertiseinlanguagedevelopment,reading,andwriting (Shively&Thomas,p.18).Familyliteracyprogramstakeaholisticapproachto programmingthatencouragescrosssectoralcollaborationstosupportfamilies needs.Ratherthantakingadeficitapproachtoliteracy,thisintegratedapproach buildscreativelyonthestrengthsoffamiliesandonexistingprogramsandservices. Familyliteracyisagreatwaytosupportchildrenintheirliteracydevelopment.It alsogivesparentsconfidenceintheirparentingskillsandincreasestheirlevelof comfortwhendealingwithliteracyintheirhome.

ThegoalofthisprojectisforfamilyliteracyprovidersinNWTcommunitiesto developanddeliverawiderangeoffamilyliteracyprograms.Buildingcapacityat thelocallevelencouragescommunitydevelopmentandprovidesmuchneeded skillsforcommunitymembers.

 ThisprojectwillpromotefamilyliteracyintheNWT,developculturallyrelevant resourcestosupportfamilyliteracyinitiativesandprovidetrainingtofamilyliteracy providersintheNWT.Weplantoworkwithlocalpeoplewhoareinterestedin runningfamilyliteracyprogramsorthosewhocanincorporatefamilyliteracyinto theirexistingprogram. Theactivitiesforthisprojectare: DevelopPSAsaboutfamilyliteracyforFamilyLiteracyDay.Theywillairon localradiostationsthreetimesperweekforeightweekspriortoFamilyLiteracy Day.WewillworkwithfamilyliteracyproviderstodevelopthePSAs. DevelopanddistributefamilyliteracypostersforFamilyLiteracyDay.The posterswillbeculturallyrelevanttothepeopleintheNWT.Theywillencourage parentstoread,sing,talk,andtellstorieswiththeirchildren.Posterswillbesent outinearlyJanuarysotheycanbeputupincommunitiesbeforeFamilyLiteracy Day. DevelopafamilyliteracyresourcecalledBooksintheHome.Wewilldevelopthis resourcethisyearandtrainanddistributeitnextyear.Theprogramwillprovide familyliteracyproviderswithideasandactivitiestodowithfamiliesintheir community.AsimilarprogramisusedwidelyinCanada.Wewanttodevelopa uniqueprogramthatmeetstheneedsofnorthernfamilies.Theprogramwillbe groundedinnortherncultureandideas. DevelopanddistributeanannotatedlistofAboriginalliteratureforchildren, youthandadults.WegetmanyrequestsfortitlesofAboriginalbooksfrom familyliteracyproviders.Thisresourcewillprovideanindepthlookat Aboriginalliterature.Wewilldistributetheresourcetofamilyliteracyproviders andallschoolsintheNWT.Wewillalsopostitonourwebsite. DevelopanddeliverafourdayFamilyLiteracyLearningSymposiumto3040 participants.Trainingwillincludeavarietyoffamilyliteracyprograms,program planningandearlybraindevelopmentworkshops.Participantswillhavean opportunitytoshareideasandlearnnewprogramstheycanuseintheir community.Thetrainingwillincludethefollowing: BrainBasicsunderstandingtheworkingsofourbrain

EmergentLiteracy IntrotoFamilyLiteracy 123RhymeWithMe MusicandLiteracy BuildingAboriginalLanguageSkills FamilyLiteracyNights ProgramPlanning DeliveraFamilyTutoringworkshopintwocommunitiesintheNWT.TheFamily Tutoringprogramisaprogramthatsupportsparentstohelptheirchildrento learntoreadandwrite.Theworkshopisthreedayslong.Wewilldeliverthe trainingtopeopleinterestedinrunningaprogram.Wewillalsomodela workshopwithparents. Attheendofthisproject,familyliteracyproviderswillhavemoreideasandtraining toimplementnewfamilyliteracyprogramsintheircommunity.Familieswillhave moreunderstandingofwhatfamilyliteracyisandhowtheycanhelptheirchildren withliteracyathome. Description of Organization TheNWTLiteracyCouncilisaterritorial,nongovernmentorganizationwitha mandatetopromoteandsupportliteracydevelopmentinallofficiallanguagesof theNWT.Wedothisthroughtraining,research,informationsharing,resource developmentandpublicawarenessactivities.Alargepartofourworkinvolves providinginformation,resourcesandsupporttoliteracypractitioners,teachers, librarians,earlychildhoodeducatorsandothercommunityresourcepeople.Our currentservicestotheliteracyfieldinclude: Resourcedevelopmentinfamilyliteracyandcommunityliteracy; ResearchonliteracyintheNWTandAboriginallanguagesliteracy; Trainingworkshopsoncommunityandfamilyliteracy;literacy,language andculture;tutortraining;instructionaltechniquesandcurriculum

support;plainlanguagewriting;programplanning,proposalwriting, supportsforlearnerswithdisabilitiesandevaluation; Communityoutreachandsupport; Literacylendinglibrary; Websitewww.nwt.literacy.ca; ElectronicconferencingsystemonNorthof60,withlinkstootherliteracy conferencingsystems; RegularlypublishednewslettersdistributedwidelythroughouttheNWT andsouthernCanada; LiteracypromotionthroughInternationalLiteracyDay/AdultLearners Week,NWTLiteracyWeek,PGIGolfTournamentforLiteracy,National FamilyLiteracyDay Monitoringandrespondingtoliteracypolicyonaterritorialandnational level.

TheNWTLiteracyCouncilworkswithavarietyofgroupsandindividualsinour effortstopromoteandsupportliteracydevelopmentintheNWT.Weworkdirectly withfamilysupportandearlychildhoodprogramproviders,literacypractitioners andlearners,AuroraCollege,theGovernmentoftheNWT,notforprofit organizations,libraries,DivisionalBoardsofEducation,Aboriginalorganizations andotheragencies. Target Group: Daycareworkers,AboriginalHeadStartprogram,schools, familysupportcentre,parents,adulteducators Need for the project: Approximately42%ofadultsaged16to65haveliteracylevelsbelowthelevel theyneedtofunctionintodayssociety.ThisisthesameastheCanadian average,butitmeans4outof10peoplefaceliteracychallenges.Althoughthe gapbetweentheliteracylevelsoftheAboriginalandnonAboriginal populationsissignificant.Approximately69%oftheAboriginalpopulation haslowliteracycomparedto30%ofthenonAboriginalpopulation.Oneway tobreakthecycleoflowliteracyisthroughthepromotionoffamilyliteracy.

Literacyisanimportantpartoffamilylife.Familyliteracyisbasedonthe understandingthatyoungchildrenlearnliteracyintheirfamiliesandcommunities throughmanysocialinteractionsthatareenjoyableandinviteactiveparticipation. Familyliteracyisanaturalpartofeverydayfamilylifeandincludesmanyactivities thathelptogetthingsdone,andtransmitvalues,cultureandlanguage.Family literacyprogramsrecognizetheimportanceoftheparentsintheliteracy developmentoftheirchildrenandtrytosupportfamiliesinreadingactivities.There aremanytypesoffamilyliteracyprojects: storytelling readingcircles parentingsessions homeworkclubs bookbagsforparentsandtheirinfants rhymingprograms Thegoalsoffamilyliteracyprogramsrangefromaconcernforparentchild interactionsthatpromoteschoolreadiness,tobroadercommunitydevelopment goalsthataimtosupportandstrengthenfamiliesandcommunities.Familyliteracy isawayoflookingforlongtermsolutionstosocialissuesinthenorth.Family literacybuildscreativelyonexistingservicesandresources.Throughpartnerships, communitiescanprovideafullyintegratedfamilyliteracymodel,whichincludes adulteducation,earlychildhoodeducation,parentingeducationandsupport,and interactiveparentchildlearning. Thisprojectwillprovidehandsontrainingforpeopleinterestedinrunningfamily literacyprogramsintheircommunity.Wehopetobuildcapacityatthecommunity leveltodevelopanddeliverfamilyliteracyprograms.

Work plan
Objective 1:PromotefamilyliteracyintheNWT.
Resources Activities and timelines Developfamilyliteracypublic serviceannouncementstobe airedonlocalradiostationsfor FamilyLiteracyDay. TobecompletedbyNovember andairedforDecemberand January. Developafamilyliteracyposter forFamilyLiteracyDaythat encouragesfamiliestoread,sing, talkandtellstoriestotheir children. TobecompletedbyMarch31st

Project name:FamilyLiteracyProject

Products

Who is responsible?

Results

FamilyLiteracy Coordinator,family literacyprograms

PSAsplayon theradio3times perweek8 weeksbefore FamilyLiteracy Day

CoordinatorandExecutive Director.Coordinator workswithfamilyliteracy programsinsome communitiestodevelop messageforPSAs.

Coordinator,printing company

FamilyLiteracy poster #ofposters printedand distributed.

CoordinatorandExecutive Director.Coordinator worksprintingcompany todevelopposter.

Familiesseeand hearinformation aboutfamily literacythatis relevanttotheir traditionsand culture.

Work plan

Project name:FamilyLiteracyProject

Objective 2:DevelopculturallyrelevantresourcestosupportfamilyliteracyinitiativesinallNWTcommunities.
Resources Activities and timelines Products Who is responsible? Coordinatorand ExecutiveDirector. Coordinatorworkswith familyliteracyprograms insomecommunities andworkswith YellowknifeFilms. Coordinatorand ExecutiveDirector. Coordinatorworks printingcompanyto developposter. Results

ResourceCoordinator, FamilyLiteracy Coordinator,printing company

Developafamilyliteracyresource calledBooksintheHome. WritethefirstdraftbyDec Reviewwithfamilyliteracyproviders inJanFeb PrintbyMarch31st Developanddistributeanannotated listofAboriginalliteraturefor children,youthandadults. DraftbyNovemberfamilyliteracy providersreview CompletedbyMarch31st

Anew culturally relevant resourcefor familyliteracy providers.

Familyliteracy coordinator,printing, familyliteracyproviders

Anannotated listof Aboriginal books.

Moreculturally relevantresources availablefor familyliteracy programs.

Work plan

Project name:FamilyLiteracyProject

Objective 3:ProvideongoingtrainingtofamilyliteracyprovidersintheNWTtohelpthemexpandtheirfamilyliteracy initiatives.

Resources FamilyLiteracy Coordinator,Resource Coordinator,Travel, foodand accommodationfor workshop.Space, supplies,foodand equipment FamilyLiteracy Coordinator,traveland accommodations, Space,foodand workshopsupplies Activities and timelines Products Who is responsible? Results

DevelopanddeliveraFamily LiteracyLearningSymposiumfor30 40participantsfromtheNWT. DevelopworkshopsbyOctober WorkshopdeliveredinNovember

FamilyLiteracy Training FamilyLiteracy Symposium CoordinatorandExecutive Newworkshops Director Handoutsfor participants

Familyliteracy providersexpand theirfamily literacyprograms.

DeliveraFamilyTutoringworkshop intwocommunities. OnecommunityinSeptemberand anothercommunityinJanuary

2Family Tutoring Workshops Handoutsfor participants

FamilyLiteracy CoordinatorandExecutive Director

Budget Item

Amount Other Requested revenue (cash)

InKind support

Total

Wagesforpersonnel FamilyLiteracyCoordinatorSalaryplusbenefitsand employercosts $72,000

ResourceCoordinator1/3Salaryplusbenefitsandemployer $24,000 costs AdministrativeAssistantSalaryplusbenefitsand employercosts TravelandAccommodations 20workshopparticipantsfromoutsideofYKtraveland accommodations($2,000each) Lunchandbreakfastfor4daysfor45people Travelto2communitiesfor2peoplefor3dayseach Materials $30,000 $10,000 HCI $25,000 HRDSD

$10,000 $8,000

Paper,flipcharts,overheads,otherworkshopsupplies, crafts Photocopying(materialforworkshop) RentandUtilities $500perdayfor4days ResourceDevelopment PrintingcostofFamilyLiteracyResource PhotocopycostsforAnnotatedlistofAboriginalbooks $500formailout Postercosts(1000posters) PSAannouncements(recordingandcoststoairthem)

$3,000

$3,000

$1,400

$1,400

$2,000

$2,000

$8,000 $1,000 $500 $6,000 $13,000

$3,000 (radio stations) $3,000

$8,000 $1,000 $500 $6,000 $10,000

Total

$178,900

$25,000

$206,900

Evaluation
Results (from work plan)

Project name: Indicators & data to measure results

NumberoftimePSAsplay.

Sources of data

Objective 1 Posters PSAs

Families see and hear information about family literacy that is relevant to their traditions and culture.

Numberoffamilyliteracyprovidersthat helpwritePSAs. Numberofpostersdevelopedand distributedtocommunities. Feedbackfromfamilyliteracyproviders aboutpromotionalmaterial. Numberoffamilyliteracyprovidersthat receivetheresource.

Workshop attendanceand evaluations. Feedbackfromfamily literacyproviders. Projectrecordsand financialreports.

Objective 2 Familyliteracy resource Annotatedlist ofAboriginal literature Moreculturallyrelevant resourcesavailablefor familyliteracyprograms.

Numberoffamilyliteracyprovidersthat receivetheannotatedlistofAboriginal literature Numberofrequestswehaveforbothnew resources. Feedbackfromfamilyliteracyproviders.

Objective 3 FamilyLiteracy Learning Symposium FamilyTutoring workshops

Familyliteracyproviders expandtheirfamily literacyprograms.

Numberofparticipantsatsymposium NumberofpeoplewhoattendtheFamily Tutoringworkshops Feedbackfromfamilyliteracyproviders