Education and Early Childhood Development
January 27, 2015

Investing in the Future of Children and Families

Family Literacy Day Recognized in Newfoundland and Labrador

The importance of reading as a family and participating in literacy-related activities are being celebrated as the Provincial Government recognizes today (Tuesday, January 27) as National Family Literacy Day.

"Learning begins in the early years of a child's development and it takes place in many settings - at home, in child care, in the community and in schools. We know that reading to children at very early ages is important for brain development and has a positive impact on academic success in the future. That's why our government continues to deliver meaningful programs to parents and children that focus on early learning. This includes our parent resource kits, our Power of Play campaign and our Learning from the Start strategy, through which we have made a three-year investment of $4.3 million for birth to age three initiatives. Family Literacy Day provides a wonderful opportunity for families to gather together and I encourage all families to take a moment today to celebrate learning, reading and the important role of play for children of all ages."
- The Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development

The Provincial Government has invested in a variety of literacy initiatives that focus on early learning from birth, and continuing to the school years, including:

• The six year K-12 literacy plan Learning for a Lifetime - A Literacy Plan for Kindergarten to Secondary builds on early learning programming and is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in language and literacy;
• The Early Learning Foundation initiative that provides early literacy programming through a partnership between the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and the provincial public libraries and outreach programs; and
• The Parent Resource Kit initiative, part of the Provincial Government's Learning from the Start early childhood learning strategy, that provides a variety of materials to parents to encourage learning at home. The kits, which include books, play items and CDs of children's music, help develop language and literacy through play-based learning.

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.

QUICK FACTS

• The Provincial Government is celebrating National Family Literacy Day today (Tuesday, January 27) to raise awareness of the importance of reading.
• In Newfoundland and Labrador, the Provincial Government provides a variety of programs to families that focus on literacy and early learning, including parent resource kits, the Power of Play campaign and the Learning from the Start early childhood learning strategy, through which $4.3 million has been invested over three years for birth to age three initiatives.
• The Learning for a Lifetime - A Literacy Plan for Kindergarten to Secondary is a six-year K-12 literacy plan that builds on early learning programming and is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in language and literacy.
• For more information on Family Literacy Day, go to abclifeliteracy.ca/family-literacy-day   

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Media contact:

Jennifer Tulk Director of Communications Department of Education and Early Childhood Development 709-729-0048, 728-4014 jennifertulk@gov.nl.ca

2015 01 27                              10:20 a.m.