Project Update - February 2008

Researcher/Writer: Melanie Redman

February finds the Developing Models of Best Practices for Integrated Family Literacy Programming project in full swing. The project partners convened at the OLC office recently to review our consultant's research framework. Over the next three months, our consultant will travel to Hamilton, Kingston and to our pilot sites in Toronto to conduct research that will help us better understand family literacy programming in action, as well as capture the historical perspective on how these programs have developed and evolved.

Miss Redman's research builds on the important work that AFLO and the Ontario Literacy Coalition conducted in the past. She will use focus groups, interviews, surveys and direct observation to test the fourteen assumptions of family literacy best practices as described in the 2005 report, Family Literacy in Ontario: A Guide to Best Practices.

We are also planning a preliminary stakeholder meeting for the beginning of April. We are inviting key ministry staff to join us for a breakfast/brainstorming session. We hope to inform them of the fantastic research we're undertaking, as well as get their input on other key people in the literacy policy and funding community that should be at the table for a stakeholder meeting we plan to hold in June. We will present our findings and recommendations at that time.

Stay tuned for more updates on this important work!