This chapter presented best practices from Canada and elsewhere. Nowadays, a socio-cultural approach is often recommended to come up with best practices. However, certain nuances have to be taken into account. Auerbach (1989) mentions three different approaches: the intervention-prevention approach, the multiple literacies approach and the social change approach. In addition, cultural differences, differences in belief systems and differences related to gender are important factors in implementing best practices.
Partnerships are a key feature of best practices for family literacy programs. A collaborative approach must include a shared vision, mutual trust and a commitment on the part of the partners and must be centred on parents and their children. The European projects PEFaL and QualiFLY are concrete demonstrations of the importance and benefits of a collaborative approach to supporting families who are participating in family literacy programs. The New Zealand Manukau Family Literacy Program is a particularly interesting example of a family literacy program that derives its significant for the collaboration it creates between schools, preschool centres, colleges and universities. This chapter also described the well-known research on partnerships by Epstein et a1. (2002) in which various types of effective partnership models are described. Finally, in French Canada, a useful guide from Manitoba on partnerships was described, and two studies on partnerships between the school, the home and the community were presented.
The next chapter addresses multiple literacies applications in connection with family literacy programs.