Minister Celebrates Family Literacy Day

The Donald C. Jamieson Academy school community today welcomed the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Education, as he celebrated Family Literacy Day by reading to Grade 3 students at the school.

“The theme for this year’s Family Literacy Day is ‘Take a Learning Journey’, and that journey begins at birth,” said Minister Jackman. “We know that the early years are a critical time in the development of vision, hearing, and language skills which form the foundation for future literacy development. Parent and family involvement, throughout the early years, is therefore crucial to giving young people the best opportunity for success in school, and in life.”

Budget 2011 Standing Strong: For Prosperity. For Our Future. For Newfoundland and Labrador allocated $4.8 million over three years, to begin implementation of the Provincial Government's Early Childhood Learning Strategy, Learning from the Start. Initiatives will focus on early language and social development from birth to age three, and with providing parents with information and resources to help them give their children the right start in life.

“The Provincial Government is also working on additional initiatives to address the learning needs of children aged four to six,” said Minister Jackman. “Meanwhile, we are delivering programs through our public libraries, and through our K to 12 curriculum, which support reading and writing outcomes across all subject areas. However, we recognize how important it is that the home environment supports our schools’ efforts in this regard. We will therefore continue our work to provide a seamless transition from home to school, so that all of our children have the best opportunity for life-long success.”

Family Literacy Day is a national awareness initiative created by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 and held annually on January 27 to raise awareness of the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family.

“Literacy Newfoundland and Labrador recognizes the primary importance of families in achieving a strong foundation for lifelong learning,” said Caroline Vaughan, Executive Director of Literacy Newfoundland and Labrador. “We partner with ABC Canada to promote Family Literacy Day, and we provide a free distribution of family learning materials - by request - to schools, libraries and not-for-profit community groups across the province. The efforts placed today on early learning will translate into successful academic achievement in school and post-secondary, providing today’s youth with the basis for future successes and career choices. I take this opportunity to encourage the whole family to be proactive in incorporating learning activities into their daily routine today, and every day throughout the year.”

For more information on Family Literacy Day, go to abclifeliteracy.ca/family-literacy-day

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Photo: Education Minister Clyde Jackman reads to Grade 3 students at Donald C. Jamieson Academy in Burin Bay Arm.

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2012 01 27                            10:35 a.m.