The Children’s Secretariat is a broad, inter-sectoral group that includes representatives from the community and from seven provincial government departments. The focus is on key areas of action for healthy child development. As well, representatives of key groups who are involved with children sit as members on the Children’s Secretariat. As a "network of networks", the Children’s Secretariat links with other organizations and groups that are working on behalf of young children and their families.
A number of family literacy activities have been undertaken by the University of Prince Edward Island’s “Enhancing Family Literacy in Rural Atlantic Canada” initiative. Families Learning Together is a research project that started in 2001. It provides a model for community-based family literacy programming. The program consists of 10 theme based and culturally relevant modules. As the final report from the initiative notes, “feedback from the families involved in the needs assessment provided the basis for a program focused on reflecting the strengths that the families already possessed. Consideration was taken to include the families’ self-identified needs in the literacy program, and to draw on their cultural histories in identifying ways in which they could effectively teach their children.” Footnote 16
While not strictly a family literacy initiative, PEI Volunteers for Literacy places volunteers in local schools. A part-time coordinator recruits and screens volunteers, and works with a contact teacher at each school to place the volunteer. Volunteers go into the schools once a week to give students one-to-one help with reading, writing or other school subjects.
References
Return to note 16 Vianne Timmons, et al. Families Learning Together, A Family Literacy Initiative at Cardigan Consolidate School, A Final Report. University of Prince Edward Island, 2007.