The Department of Workforce and Advanced Learning will partner with Master Packaging to assist the PEI Literacy Alliance’s summer tutoring program, says Minister Richard Brown.
“Development of literacy skills are a vital step in every child’s education and the foundation of a skilled workforce,” said the minister. “This support will strengthen the Literacy Alliance’s ability to provide summer literacy tutors for children referred by their schools for extra help, and it will help start these children on a path of lifelong learning.”
Under a recent funding arrangement, the Department of Workforce and Advanced Learning will provide the Literacy Alliance with support totaling $20,000 – on top of a pre-existing SkillsPEI grant of $6,000 to support a coordinator’s position - while Master Packaging will provide a grant of $15,000.
“Literacy is life-changing and makes all other learning possible. For many years we have supported books for Island children. The PEI Literacy Alliance and the Summer Tutoring Program for Kids (STPK) provides caring mentors to build the skills and help realize the full potential of Island children. We are very pleased to support their vital work and the better future it delivers – for the child and the Province we’re proud to call home,” said Mary-Jean Irving, President and CEO of Master Packaging, Limited.
The funds will allow the Literacy Alliance to hire a further six tutors for the summer of 2015, bringing the total summer staff to 24. This will allow the program to reach 180 children over the course of the summer break.
The program is currently supported by Service Canada; the Department of Education, Early Learning and Culture; the English Language School Board; the French Language School Board; the Eastern Graphic Gold Mine Draw, the Percé Program; the Rotary Club of Charlottetown Royalty and private donors. Total support for the project is $167,196.
“The program goals are to maintain children’s literacy and numeracy skills over the summer months and to cultivate a positive attitude toward learning. Over the summer months, if children are not practising their literacy skills, they often lose some of these skills,” said Jinny Greaves, executive director of the PEI Literacy Alliance.
“This puts children who already struggle in school at a greater disadvantage when they return to school in the fall. Each year, approximately 1200 elementary-aged children are referred to our program. This new funding allows us to help an additional 180 children, making our total number of children in the program this year 720.”
The PEI Literacy Alliance has delivered the Summer Tutoring Program for Kids (STPK) at public libraries Island-wide, in English and French, since 2001. This free one‐to‐one tutoring program is for children in grades K through 6 who struggle the most with reading, writing and math. The program has helped almost 10,000 and employed more than 300 post-secondary students.