Today is Family Literacy day in Canada. A day meant to raise awareness of the importance of reading, and getting involved with literacy related activities with your family.
$200 in grants will be given out to 10 organizations, communities and schools throughout the province to celebrate, as well as 10 grants of $500 given to 10 rural communities.
Shelby Wilkinson is an Occupational Therapist. She talks about why literacy is so important;
"Learning how to read and write opens up limitless opportunities for children. It gives them an entirely new way to communicate, it helps expand their imagination and learn new information. Reading requires instruction and practice
Wilkinson says reading might seem boring to some kids – but it doesn't have to be.
"Reading doesn't always have to mean having the newest book to sit down and read to your child. It can be simple things such as reading signs while you're driving, reading recipes while you're cooking in the kitchen, or even reading labels while you're going through your grocery list at the store."
According to a study released in 2013, four out of ten adults in Canada have low literacy skills.
Wilkinson shares signs that your child may be struggling.
"Some things that you might see are limited vocabulary from an early age, letter and number reversals, trouble completing homework when they come home from school, difficulty following two step directions, and trouble attending in class".
The government of Saskatchewan expanded on the importance of literacy with Deputy Premier and Education Minister Gordon Wyant saying “Family member engagement helps support the foundation of literacy development of children.”
It was also announced that the government would continue to support literacy by funding eight different family literacy hubs, and 20 summer literacy camps, which are attended by over 1,200 kids.
The 2018-19 provincial budget also included $1.5 million to support Ministry of Education literacy initiatives
Sat, May 4, 8:30 AM
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