More Literacy Centres Supporting Ontario Families – Northern Ontario Forgotten?

Written by Ontario Newsroom on 10 October 2012

EDITOR’s NOTE:

It is unfortunate that of the school boards in which the 17 PFLCs will be located there are no Northern Ontario school boards included, in addition to this, when searching the MINISTRY OF EDUCATION website for a “Centre near you” (CLICK HERE TO TRY IT YOURSELF) the nearest places I could find to the OntarioNewsNorth.com readership were ALL in Sault Ste. Marie (though there are ONLY 4 listed in the Sault, maybe one or two could be somewhere ELSE in the North?) this in spite of the press release below boasting that “The expansion of the Parenting and Family Literacy Centre network is part of the McGuinty government’s provincewide Youth Action Plan, which is getting guns and gangs off the streets, providing positive alternatives for youth and ensuring safer communities and neighbourhoods for all Ontarians”. Perhaps it should read “For all Southern Ontarians and a few in Sault Ste. Marie”?

Though it does seem there are some added services at the Parenting and Literacy centres the Ministry of Education website does not clarify exactly what the difference is between these centres and the “Best Start Hubs” that are in most communities in the OntarioNewsNorth.com readership and perhaps this explains the lack of the centres featured in this release in our communities?

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McGuinty Government Building Stronger Neighbourhoods through Youth Action Plan

Ontario is opening 17 new Parenting and Family Literacy Centres as part of the Youth Action Plan that is giving young people the early support and opportunities they need to succeed and keep communities safe.

Parenting and Family Literacy Centres help children up to six years of age build essential literacy, numeracy and social skills through stories, music and play. The centres also help support the transition to kindergarten by:

Familiarizing children and families with school routines.
Giving children and parents the chance to spend time with other families.
Linking families with appropriate community resources for special needs, health and other related services.

Centres are free to attend – families do not have to pre-register – and are located in schools in high-needs communities.

The expansion of the Parenting and Family Literacy Centre network is part of the McGuinty government’s provincewide Youth Action Plan, which is getting guns and gangs off the streets, providing positive alternatives for youth and ensuring safer communities and neighbourhoods for all Ontarians.

QUICK FACTS

There are currently 155 centres across Ontario, and the expansion will bring the total to 172.
Research shows that early childhood education and parent engagement help improve student achievement once children start attending school.
Ontario’s Youth Action Plan will benefit an additional 13,000 young people each year by moving forward on 20 initiatives, including Parenting and Family Literacy Centres.
Ontario is investing over $20 million in new funding to support the Youth Action Plan – efficiencies and savings were found to fully offset the cost of expanded and new programs.