Background: The program model Des livres dans mon baluchon was designed by Marc Bissonnette and Louise La Rue from the adult training centre Centre de formation pour adultes La Route du Savoir in Kingston, Ontario. After carrying out a feasibility study, the authors concluded that none of the existing models seemed to answer the needs of their community, the Thousand Islands region, in which Francophones constitute 2%of the population. They therefore decided to create one, which resulted in Des livres dans mon baluchon.
Duration: Ten workshops spread out over 10 weeks, three hours per week. Two facilitators ensure the implementation of the program, because the parents and the children participate in separate programs during the first part of the workshop. (See the paragraph below on the structure of the workshops.) Target group: Francophone parents and children between the ages of three and five from all economic backgrounds in the Thousand Islands region.
Definition of family literacy: The definition of family literacy used in the model is drawn from that of the FCAF: "an approach that is directed toward an adult who plays an important role in the life of a child. The approach sets out to develop three forms of literacy: cultural literacy, academic literacy and community literacy." The goals of the program's activities are to increase the "participant's background of personal knowledge," to reinforce his sense of belonging to his community and to encourage his appreciation of and value for his culture of origin and his own cultural history.
Goals
Topics
i) participation,
ii) learning,
iii) self-esteem,
iv) nutrition,
v) communication,
vi) parenting skills,
vii) safety,
viii) health,
ix) community, and
x) creativity