Swift Current Family Resource Centre presented prestigious literacy award
Thanks to adding a literacy component into all their activities the Family Resource Centre Swift Current Inc. has been selected as the 2021 Saskatchewan recipient of the Council of the Federation Literacy Award (COFLA).
The Family Resource Centre was presented their award during a celebration event on September 9.
Recently retired Executive Director of Family Resource Centre Swift Current Inc. Anne Ford said they were encouraged by the Ministry of Education to include a family literacy component during all of their activities, allow children and their caregivers to sit together and read, do crafts together, and build a relationship through literacy.
“We just took that beyond. We just said everything we do has a literacy component. Every single thing. So when you hear us explain what literacy means and what it is, we were always conscious of this is how we will build literacy into our programming,” Ford explained shortly after the award presentation.
“So for us it was always our main focus. How do we teach people and educate people that literacy is more than just reading? It’s everything we do.”
“Anything that we do at Family Resource Centre I think starts with a literacy component. This is how we’re practicing, and this is how we’re teaching.”
The Council of the Federation Literacy Award is presented annually in recognition of outstanding achievement, innovative practices and excellence in literacy. Saskatchewan’s theme for 2021 was community literacy leadership, with the recipient needing to have provided significant contributions to the advancement of family literacy within their agency.
The Family Resource Centre Swift Current Inc. works with families of children aged under six years of age through a variety of programs. Among their offerings are the Messy Fingers program fort three to five year olds,a summer pre-school program three to five year olds, plus a variety of other programming for all ages and also for parents and caregivers. The have an extensive outreach through all their programs and partnership, with those contacts reaching in the thousands.
“One of the strengths of Family Resource Centre is to really develop and maintain meaningful relationships with families through all of those years. So it’s not just necessarily one contact that we’re counting, but we do feel confident that in a year we did reach thousands of families in a meaningful way,” explained Laura Beddome, the new Executive Director of the Family Resource Centre.
“We know that reading a book to a child is very important, but literacy is far more than that. Literacy is being able to adequately manage our day to day lives in the areas of reading, writing, mathematics, communications, computer literacy, getting along with others, critical thinking and problem solving. It impacts everything we do,” Ford added.
Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors and Rural and Remote Health Minister and Swift Current MLA Everett Hindley was on hand at Thursday’s ceremony to formally present the award.
“I can say without question that this year’s recipient was definitely a leader in community literacy,” Hindley said.
He highlighted that in the midst of the pandemic last fall, the Family Resource Centre expanded their programming to meet important needs in the community. Among their additions during COVID they introduced a five week Family Literacy Program.
“It provided parents with specific strategies to support their child’s literacy development, and introduce them to the resources available at their local library.”
“Amid the pandemic the Family Resource Centre dropped off kits to families when families couldn’t come to them, which contained books, craft supplies, puzzles and fresh food. It provided computers to isolated families, and offered outdoor preschool literacy programming for newcomer families as well. They continued their Messy Fingers preschool programming, but with reduced class sizes to comply with Public Health orders.”
“The Family Resource Centre as you likely can imagine, makes learning fun for entire families as literacy learning opportunities are included in diverse activities, whether its swimming, playing musical instruments, preparing and cooking a full course meal, helping adults practice driving and obtain their drivers licences.”
More information on the Council of the Federation Literacy Award is available at www.saskatchewan.ca/government/heritage-honours-and-awards/council-of-the-federation-literacy-award.