Celebrate Family Literacy Day at the Ranchland Mall on January 30

The Pincher Creek Adult Learning Council, Read/Write Program, Parent Link, The Family Resource Society and Brighter Futures invite you to celebrate Family Literacy Day with them at Pincher Creek's Ranchland Mall on Thursday, January 30, 2014  from 3:30 pm - 6:00 pm. A scrabble tournament will kick-off the event, and will continue every Thursday for 4 weeks, after which a winner will receive a new e-reader with money to spend on books, as well as other prizes being awarded to 2nd, 3rd and 4th place.

There will also be activity stations setup throughout the mall with games, playdoh, lego and other fun family activities with gift bags being handed out to participants. Bring your family, bring some friends and come participate in this celebration of literacy and learning.

Family Literacy Day is a national awareness initiative created by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 and held annually on January 27th to raise awareness of the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family. Taking time every day to read or do a learning activity with children is crucial to a child’s development. Even just 15 minutes a day can improve a child’s literacy skills dramatically, and can help a parent improve their skills as well.

Family literacy programs focus on parents as the means to improve the reading and writing skills of all family members. By reading to children and engaging in fun literacy activities, parents are actively keeping their own skills sharp while at the same time strengthening the relationship within the family which, in turn, encourages lifelong learning. There are many ways to strengthen your family’s literacy skills—all it takes is practicing for 15 minutes every day by reading, writing, playing a game, following a recipe or even singing a song.

Research shows children have a better chance of becoming fully literate adults if reading is encouraged in the home. Many studies have shown that improving parents' skills directly and positively affects the language development of children. Studies also show beyond dispute that children's achievements in school improve with increased parent involvement in education.

The Pincher Creek Read/Write Program offers several programs to assist adults in our community to reach their potential through literacy. The Tutor program matches volunteer tutors from our community with adult learners from the Pincher Creek area. Tutors are provided with training and resources; their volunteer efforts provide an invaluable service to the learners they work with, the community as a whole, as well as a great sense of personal fulfillment.

The Read/Write program also works with English Language Learners and provides tutoring and programs for new Canadian residents. ESL classes are ran when we have enough interest. The Books for Babies program ensures that every newborn child in Pincher Creek receives a membership to the library and a canvas book bag filled with suitable books and information for new parents on the importance of reading with their children. If you or someone you know could benefit from these programs, or you are interested in volunteering please contact us. All of our services are free and confidential.