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| I really like partnerships because of that.
They've got the clients, they've got the expertise, they know their
clients and their membership. And we know our materials and what is
available, different projects that we can do. That matching is a
really positive thing. We're not repeating, if they want to do a
literacy project, they're not starting over, they're not starting
from scratch. Then once we have something in place there, they can
choose to continue it. And they'll have learned along the way.
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family literacy coordinator
FLAG interviews 1995 |
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- make the most effective and efficient use of existing community
and provincial resources;
- enhance family and community participation in and shared
responsibility for education and the well-being of children;
- increase the participation of Indian and Métis people in
the planning, management, and delivery of education and other human
services; and
- enable teachers to focus on teaching and student learning, and
empower schools and other human service agencies to enhance their
effectiveness by working collaboratively with one another to meet
the needs of children holistically (Government of Saskatchewan 1994:
3-4).
Partnerships in family literacy
…there are all kinds of resonances when an
adult returns to school…. No matter what the subject matter of
the class is, things begin to happen, and have resonances of their
own. Homespun resonated in, for example, their own English classes.
What we were doing resonated… with Homespun. …The focus on
what good parenting skills might be, and what it might be like to be
a really good parent…. I don't think it would have been
successful if it stood by itself.
Adult Basic Education instructor
FLAG interviews 1995
All of the reasons to support partnerships generally also apply to
family literacy. Motivating factors for family literacy practitioners
to work with other agencies include
- limited or inadequate funding;
- sharing expertise;
- improving services and access;
- meeting funders' criteria; and
- working toward the common goal of supporting and strengthening
the family.
Just as a team approach is required to meet the complex needs of
young school students, as described above, so too do we need to take
an integrated approach to supporting participants in family literacy
programs. Literacy is interwoven with other social issues, and is
a critical strand of community development (Isserlis et al 1994b)
(emphasis added). Literacy skills significantly impact on an
individual or family's interactions with agencies and institutions,
and can determine their participation and access. |