Who delivers family literacy in Northwest Territories?

As mentioned above, NWTLC is the lead organization for family literacy development and program coordination. Family literacy in the NWT is strongly linked to the community. NWTLC has worked with communities to build capacity around family literacy by providing training for community people who would then develop and deliver family literacy programming for that community. In addition to providing services and supports for many types of family literacy programming, the NWT provides services in several different languages.

The NWT Literacy Council developed the Family Tutoring Program. It is based on the belief that parents want to support their children in school, and that they have an important role to play in their children’s literacy development. The program works with parents, teacher assistants, and tutors to strengthen the English literacy skills of the whole family.

Program participants learn reading and writing strategies to support children’s reading and writing development. The Family Tutoring program works with adults who tutor children at the emerging and early reader stages. Usually these children are in grades 1 to 4. Program strategies can also be adapted for older children and youth who struggle with reading and writing.

References

• Key informant interview. Cate Sills. Executive Director, Northwest Territories Literacy Council. May 2007.
• Key informant interview. Helen Balanoff. Acting Executive Director, Northwest Territories Literacy Council. February 2008.
• On the Right Track, Building Community Capacity for Family Literacy: Evaluation of Family Literacy Programming in the NWT. NWT Literacy Council, 2004.
• “Family Literacy Training in the NWT” in Literacy Matters, Spring 2007.
• NWT Literacy Council’s website at: http://www.nwt.literacy.ca/famlit.htm