Canada Celebrates Family Literacy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Toronto, January 26, 2009 – Families and communities across Canada will be participating in literacy-related events on and around January 27 for Family Literacy Day, Education ministers Kelly Lamrock and Shirley Bond announced today on behalf of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC).

“Family Literacy Day offers an opportunity for families across Canada to discover and explore the joys of reading and learning,” said Shirley Bond, Minister of Education for British Columbia, CMEC's lead province for literacy. “There are so many great and fun ways for families to share and grow together – whether through playing word games or puzzles, reading or telling stories, writing thank you letters or working from a recipe. By promoting literacy in the home, we are investing in our children's future and preparing them for success later in life.”

Now in its 11th year, Family Literacy Day is a national awareness initiative to promote the importance of literacy-related family play and learning. Events being held across the country include:

  • story-writing contests
  • scrabble tournaments
  • festivals
  • public story readings
  • read-a-thons
  • fundraisers
  • book drives
  • reading circles
  • traditional story-telling

 

Family Literacy was launched in 1999 by ABC Canada Literacy Foundation. As part of Family Literacy Day celebrations, on January 23 and 24 ABC Canada is encouraging Canadians to help break the Guinness World Record for “Most Children Reading with an Adult, Multiple Locations.” Participants can register for the challenge online at www.FamilyLiteracyDay.ca.

In their joint declaration, Learn Canada 2020, Canada's education ministers identified literacy as one of their key priorities. As well as supporting initiatives such as Family Literacy Day, they have created networks on literacy across the country with the goal of gathering and sharing teaching resources for learners of all ages.

“Literacy is the gateway to opportunity,” said Kelly Lamrock, New Brunswick's Minister of Education and Chair of CMEC. “By fostering an interest in reading when children are young, we are supporting their growth into fully literate adults, equipped with the skills and confidence to live happy, healthy, productive lives.”

CMEC is an intergovernmental body composed of the ministers responsible for elementary-secondary and advanced education from the provinces and territories. Through CMEC, ministers share information and undertake projects in areas of mutual interest and concern. Last April, CMEC held a Pan-Canadian Literacy Forum to engage members of the education, non-profit, business, and labour sectors in a dialogue about literacy. Highlights from the forum are now available online. For more information, visit literacy.cmec.ca.

 

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Information

Tamara Davis
Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC)
Tel.: (416) 962-8100, ext. 241
E-mail: t.davis@cmec.ca
Web site: www.cmec.ca

Government of British Columbia
Public Affairs Bureau
Ministry of Education
Tel.: (250) 356-5963