17 Apr Family literacy program reaches Canadians in five languages with new website and activities
ABC Life Literacy Canada (ABC) is proud to announce the new and improved HSBC Family Literacy First website — www.familyliteracyfirst.ca – now with access to over 50 downloadable family learning activities.
Designed by ABC with support from long-time charitable partner HSBC Bank Canada (HSBC), HSBC Family Literacy First is a free program that brings parents and children together to practice family literacy in many first languages. Workbooks, individual activity sheets and stories are now available to download in five languages – English, French, Simplified Chinese, Tagalog and Arabic.
“The new website’s user-friendly design will make it easier than ever for learning centres, schools and families to access the free resources,” said Mack Rogers, ABC Life Literacy Canada’s Executive Director. “Research has found that children’s reading habits mirror those of their parents. Parents are children’s first and best teachers and we want to support them in engaging in family learning every day.”
HSBC Family Literacy First was launched in 2015, and 10 learning modules were created in multiple languages. This year, ABC developed five new activities in all five of the program languages and released six newly translated learning modules in Simplified Chinese. Community workshops will also take place across the country with HSBC volunteers facilitating the program.
“As a member of Toronto’s business community and HSBC Family Literacy First volunteer, I’ve seen first-hand the importance of supporting literacy skills in our communities,” says David Kuo, HSBC Bank Canada’s Head of Branch Network for Ontario. “With programming offered in five of the most common languages spoken in Canada, we’re looking forward to helping more families build a foundation for the skills they’ll need to thrive in a global economy.”
More than 270 HSBC employees have volunteered at HSBC Family Literacy First workshops across the country since 2015.
Every HSBC Family Literacy First learning module includes an original story and supporting activities that engage the entire family and reinforce literacy skills. The entire program is available online at FamilyLiteracyFirst.ca, and is supported by an easy-to-use Facilitator Guide for parents, teachers, and learning centre facilitators.