The act of participating in a family literacy program in a minority language context goes beyond the simple
framework of academic literacy. In the perspective of multiple literacies, a family literacy program is
parent-focused, so that the parent can help the child succeed at school. It helps families develop a feeling
of belonging to the community by showing them how to access cultural resources and how to "read" them,
when those resources are not easily available. This means that one accepts the families or the individuals
at whatever point they are at in their relationship with their community, or, in other words, whatever their
current capacity is to "read" their communities. Thus, as the parents reported in the Coalition
francophone's research, one can explore the possibilities for making enlightened decisions and for
undergoing transformations to "become."
A number of challenges persist in the offering of ongoing, quality family literacy programs suitable for
Canada's minority Francophone communities: stable funding so that strategic long-term plans can be
developed; the development of programs; practitioner and program directors training; and mechanisms for
the evaluation of the programs. Although it is clear that family literacy programs play a positive role in the
improvement of French-language competencies and learning, as well as in the survival and construction of
the Francophone community in Ontario, the task is far from complete, principally in the areas of funding
and research. We know that we can succeed if we work hand in hand.