In 2000, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador released “Words to Live By: A Strategic Literacy Plan for Newfoundland and Labrador.” This document outlined the government’s vision for a society in which literacy is “valued and understood as contributing to personal, social and economic development.” Literacy, the document notes is a “good example of the link between social and economic development.”
The Strategic Literacy Plan outlines the province’s approach to funding early literacy, K- 12 education and adult literacy. The plan identifies the need for an integrated approach to literacy development, linking not only the work of various governmental departments together, but also ensuring that programs and processes are responsive to needs identified by individual communities.
How is family literacy funded in Newfoundland and Labrador?
The Department of Education for Newfoundland and Labrador funds community-based literacy programs for adults. These programs take place in a variety of community settings. For the funding year 2007-08, programs that use volunteer tutors received a maximum grant of $38,500. Programs that use paid instructors received $41,000. Eligibility criteria apply to each type of program. For example: between September and June both types of programs must offer 40 weeks of instruction; programs using volunteer tutors must have a minimum of 25 students enrolled; programs using paid instructors must have a 12:1 student/instructor ratio; both types of programs must use an assessment tool that is authorized by the Department of Education.
While the Department of Education has no specific policy statement on family literacy it does acknowledge that “young children’s exposure to a literacy-rich environment and their experiences with oral language form the foundation for literacy development.”
Most family literacy programming is funded through the government’s Early Childhood Learning Grants. Eligibility requirements for these grants state that programs: