In Québec, the provincial government defines literacy upgrading for adults as formal and informal. School boards provide formal programs, while informal programs are provided by community-based organizations. Informal programs are for adults who are not ready to go back to school or who don’t have an education-based goal (getting a high-school equivalency diploma, commonly referred to as the GED, for example).
How is family literacy funded in Québec?
The Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport funds literacy services that are provided by educational institutions or community groups. Since 2000, the provincial government has had a program in place called “Assistance Program for Emergent Literacy in Disadvantaged Communities.” The primary focus of the program is to help adults become aware of the important role they play in the development of their children’s literacy skills – prior to school.
Another initiative of the provincial government is the “School, Family and Community Program.” This program brings together various community partners. It is situated in school regions with socioeconomic indicators that show the region to be disadvantaged. This program’s focus is on caregivers with children ages 2 to 12. Footnote 17
Who delivers family literacy in Québec?
In Québec, community-based programs provide most of the family literacy programming for Anglophone families. In these programs, the focus is specifically on the caregiver.
Literacy Volunteers of Québec is a coalition of community-based agencies. A variety of family literacy programs and services are offered by these agencies. This includes things such as:
Return to note 17 Ibid., page 31.