In the new millennium, the focus for literacy intervention continued to expand into the preschool years and the domain of parenting. In 2001, the Early Childhood and Family Literacy Summer Student Project was developed by the New Brunswick Coalition for Literacy (NBCL)8 with Laubach Literacy New Brunswick (LLNB)9, Literacy New Brunswick Inc. (LNBI) and la Fédération d´alphabétisation du Nouveau-Brunswick (FANB)10 to offer support to develop and expand early childhood and family literacy initiatives in the community. The aim of this project was to engage preschool children and their family members in various activities which promote and foster early literacy skills and to increase awareness of the important role of these activities in preventing later literacy difficulties (Literacy New Brunswick, 2001a).

A renewed interest in literacy at the school level is apparent with the tremendous variety of literacy initiatives which are being undertaken by the local school districts to address concerns regarding poor achievement in children's reading scores on standardized testing. Debates rage over which programs and approaches are best to implement; research-based programs are not always recognized and the methods used for promoting literacy are plagued with controversies (E. Crawford, personal communication, May 27, 2002). Further, the expanding use of technology-supported learning offers teaching alternatives which challenge traditional classroom instructional models and introduce possibilities for enhanced learning (Barclay, 2001).

8 The NBCL is a non profit agency established in 1988 to carry out literacy services with representatives from government and community groups (Literacy New Brunswick, 2001b).

9 LLNB is a non-profit volunteer organization that offers free literacy and numeracy training for adults (Laubach Literacy New Brunswick, 2004).

10 FANB is a non-profit francophone organization with a primary focus on family literacy. It was established in 1988 to make the francophone public aware of the benefits of literacy (Fédération d'alphabétisation du Nouveau-Brunswick, 2004).