The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development will partner with the Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick to provide training to 400 early childhood educators over the next four years.
Beginning this fall, 100 of them in the anglophone sector will be invited to participate in a training program entitled Talk, Sing, Read Everyone, Everywhere! The training includes coaching and mentoring so that early childhood educators can feel confident about their skills.
"Early childhood educators have indicated they would like to build their skills and confidence in the literacies highlighted in the New Brunswick Curriculum Framework for Early Learning and Child Care," said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Bill Hogan. "We are pleased to offer them this training, which will incorporate singing, storytelling and reading aloud - all of which are solid early childhood practices that invite children to form relationships, learn the conventions of their languages and build a healthy literate identity."
The department will provide staffing for this initiative while the coalition will provide $1.26 million of in-kind support. The funding was given to the coalition specifically for this purpose by an anonymous donor.
In addition, early literacy and transition consultants in the anglophone sector will support early childhood educators to become mentors to other educators in their facilities and communities through district gatherings that have a literacy focus.
"The Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick is a recognized leader in advancing literacy in New Brunswick, with over 35 years of experience supporting literacy from birth to older adults," said coalition president Brent Melanson. "We have been a strategic partner for literacy in many areas, and we are certainly invested in providing training for early childhood educators."
"We are very excited to be working with the Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick and longtime literacy advocate Lynda Homer," said Hogan. "Ms. Homer is an accomplished children's author who has demonstrated a lifelong passion and commitment for supporting children and families with their literacies."
More information about the training will be shared with educators in the coming weeks.
