ABC Life Literacy Canada

(Toronto, ON - December 19, 2011) - Approximately nine million adult Canadians struggle with low literacy. Why? There is no one reason. Maybe they dropped out of school early to help support a large family, or they struggled with an undiagnosed learning disability, or perhaps they graduated high school, but haven’t had to use and increase their literacy skills in a consistent manner. Unfortunately, individuals with lower literacy skillshave lower rates of employment, and tend to work in occupations with lower skill requirements.

Family Literacy Day• is a national initiative that helps to increase awareness of literacy issues in Canada, encourages adults and children to practice their literacy skills by engaging in at least 15 minutes of learning activities every day.

ABC Life Literacy Canada and Food Banks Canada are pleased to be working together for Family Literacy Day to reach more Canadians with the literacy message.

Learning happens in everything we do – it’s not just about reading a story at bedtime. There are so many learning opportunities that happen in our day-to-day lives – from grocery shopping to driving to Grandma’s to doing the laundry. These fun and easy learning opportunities provide a way for parents of all literacy levels to help their children learn while increasing their own skills at the same time.

Research shows that children raised in literate households are likely to enter grade one with several thousand hours of one-to-one pre-reading experience behind them. Through Family Literacy Day 2012, Food Banks Canada and ABC Life Literacy Canada can show families how easy it is to make learning part of daily life, and help them to increase their literacy skills.

How can you help support hunger and literacy? Turn your Family Literacy Day event into a food drive! Encourage families that attend your event to bring a non-perishable food item that you can then donate to your local food bank. They are in dire need of your help – 35 per cent of food banks ran out of food during the month of March 2011 alone. To find your local food bank, visit http://foodbankscanada.ca/utility-pages/find-a-food-bank.aspx

To register your event, access free tools and resources, or for more information, visit www.FamilyLiteracyDay.ca.

Canadians can become active participants and join ABC Life Literacy Canada’s vision of a nation where everyone has the literacy skills they need to live a fully engaged life. Support life literacy programs and initiatives with an online donation at www.abclifeliteracy.ca/donate.

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