Building Strong Foundations: School and Community Partnerships for Family Literacy
by Simone Viger, in collaboration with Amelia Crerar and Raphaella Dixon, Educational Services Department
Celebrate Family Literacy Day on January 27th with the Lester B. Pearson School Board’s exciting family literacy initiatives! These programs bring families, schools, and communities together, offering workshops and resources that inspire the joy of learning. Let’s celebrate the power of reading together!
Celebrate Family Literacy Every Day with Books, Books, Books!
Families can discover a world of stories at various locations including your school library, public library, and local bookstores. For times when physical books aren’t readily available, ebooks are a great alternative.
Lester B. Pearson students and educators have access to a vast library of ebooks to support reading and learning. Explore a wide variety of genres, including picture books, read-alongs, novels, graphic novels, BDs, nonfiction and audiobooks.
- Sora: This platform offers over 5000 English ebooks and audiobooks for grades 3-11 & school staff.
To access Sora: Go to soraapp.com/welcome/login/200854 and log in using your lbpearson.ca Google account. - Biblius: Discover over 3000 French ebooks and audiobooks for all students and school staff.
To access Biblius: Go to cslbp.biblius.ca, click on the blue button “Se connecter avec Mozaïk” and use your lbpearson.ca account to log in. Staff with an lbpsb.qc.ca account should use that account.
Family Literacy Night at Maple Grove Elementary
Maple Grove Elementary’s Family Literacy Night is now in its third year, and it continues to be a heartwarming and inspiring event. We had the pleasure of speaking with Geneviève Le Cavalier-Parant, a dedicated teacher, about this wonderful annual event that showcases the literacy projects and progress students have made throughout the year. It’s a fantastic way to highlight the hard work and creativity of both students and teachers!
Each year, the event kicks off with a meaningful theme, such as respect or friendship, and books that celebrate diversity and inclusivity are carefully chosen, with help from Educational Services Consultants Raphaella Dixon and Sue Simatos. Students eagerly pick books that interest them, taking them home to build a personal connection to reading. What a wonderful way to inspire a love of learning!
Students showcase their literary projects, while the community shares valuable resources. The event also features the Mystery Readers program, inviting local figures—such as the mayor, fireman, and even a hockey player—to read to students. With themes focused on respect and friendship, students select books that help them build personal connections to reading, while parents gain confidence in supporting their children’s literacy development.
Geneviève’s favorite part of the event is the celebration of families coming together at the school. The festive atmosphere provides families with an opportunity to celebrate their child’s progress, connect with the school, and witness how far their child has come.
Literacy Unlimited: Empowering Adults through Literacy Programs
Literacy Unlimited (LU) has supported the West Island community since 1981 by providing literacy support. This volunteer-based organization was founded by a teacher at Place Cartier Adult Education Centre who sought to meet the literacy needs of adult learners beyond the classroom.
LU’s family literacy program, launched in collaboration with the Lester B. Pearson School Board at Maple Grove Elementary, brings parents and children together in shared learning experiences. The program distributes books aligned with children’s interests, with QR codes linking to literacy resources. The initiative quickly gained popularity, and Maple Grove even dedicated an entire week to celebrating literacy.
The program has since expanded to Kingsdale Elementary, where monthly workshops for children aged 6-9 combine reading activities, separate parent-child learning sessions, and a shared meal. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with parents gaining valuable tools to support their children’s growth.
Activities to do at Home:
- Music:
- Music videos: listen to a song with your child and then watch the music video. Ask your child: “Do they tell the same story?”
- Classical music: Listen to instrumental music (i.e. Nutcracker or Swan Lake). Talk to your child about how the music makes you feel.
- Theatre:
- Provide your child with props, costumes, masks, or puppets of a well-known story (such as The Three Little Pigs)
- Have your child choose their role and act is out
- Card & Cube Prompts: roll the story cubes or pick a story card. Use images to create your own unique tale.
- Personal Stories: Show family photos to your child and tell them the story behind it. Tell your own story: When did you lose your first tooth? Have you ever broken a bone?
LU’s goal is to strengthen family bonds and inspire children by demonstrating that learning can be both fun and continuous.
Born to Read: Promoting Family Literacy through Early Childhood
Founded in 2001, Born to Read encourages parents to read to their children and promotes early literacy. The program provides book donations, workshops, and kindergarten readiness resources, while engaging children (ages 0-5) with games, toys, and literacy experts. It also offers bilingual resources for immigrant families.
We spoke with Mary Anne Perrault, who served as the principal at Greendale (now Kingsdale Elementary) for seven years. Born to Read began as a community volunteer project in partnership with Pierrefonds CLSC during their vaccination clinics, where volunteers distributed bags with books, read to kids, and shared information about the importance of reading.
Since then, Born to Read has expanded its outreach, serving families with young children as well as those in LBPSB schools. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the program operated family reading rooms at Riverdale and Pierrefonds Community High Schools. Born to Read’s programs continue to support children and families through book donations, workshops, and kindergarten readiness resources. The program engages children through games, toys, nursery rhymes, and opportunities for retired educators to share their expertise—facilitating valuable conversations between parents and connecting them to additional resources.
Born to Read can be reached at: info@borntoread.net
J’apprends avec mon enfant (JAME): Supporting Literacy for All
JAME’s mission is to boost the educational success of children (ages 0-12) by making reading both fun and accessible.
Their Reading Buddies program pairs volunteers with children to improve reading skills, with over 100 volunteers across Montreal. Each volunteer spends an hour a week reading with a child in their home, fostering not only reading skills but also personal, social, and academic growth. Parents and siblings are encouraged to join in the fun, too!
JAME also runs workshops for parents, focusing on language learning and how books can spark excitement in exploring new languages. Topics like bilingualism, multilingualism, and early literacy help parents feel more confident in supporting their children’s growth and education.
Additionally, JAME hosts bilingual reading circles at lunchtime in LBPSB schools in Verdun, offering books in both French and English. Children can read the same story in both languages, boosting their confidence and discovering how many words they already know across languages!
Family Literacy Tips:
- Just 15 minutes a day can make a big difference!
- Let your child pick the books.
- Read in any language you like.
- Ask what might happen next.
- Explore the illustrations together.
- Use different voices, sounds, and take turns reading.
- If your child loses interest, switch to something else.
- Have fun! Skip pages, start from the end, or just enjoy the moment.
Verdun Elementary: New Family Literacy Initiatives for 2025
This year, Verdun Elementary has put a strong focus on Family Literacy, launching several exciting new initiatives to engage both students and their families. Building on their commitment to the Science of Reading, the school has implemented a Collaborative Literacy Plan with the help of their Consultant in Inclusive Education and three other schools. Together, they’ve created a progression of learning for their K5 and Cycle 1 literacy programs.
To further strengthen literacy across all grade levels, Verdun’s resource team is targeting both English and French literacy interventions. Through evidence-based practices, the school has introduced 40-minute literacy blocks four days a week for Cycle 1, 2, and 3 students. With resources like UFLI, Heggerty, Son-au-graphe, and Raconte-moi les sons, and decodable books aligned with the Science of Reading, Verdun is reinforcing early literacy skills across the board. Kindergarten and grade 1 students benefit from Handwriting Without Tears (HWT), a multisensory handwriting program designed to improve fine motor skills.
In addition to these classroom efforts, Verdun is excited to host Family Literacy Night, a special event aimed at teaching families the literacy games their children experience at school. During this event, each family will receive a toolkit filled with practical resources to support literacy learning at home. The school hopes this initiative will become an annual tradition to build strong connections between families and the school while supporting early literacy skills.
As part of their Literacy Week, Verdun will also hold daily activities that celebrate the love of reading, including a Scholastic Book Fair, a reading under the stars themed room, a costume contest for students dressed as their favorite book characters, and more. To further strengthen ties with the community, Verdun recently hosted a Pizza Night with Reclaim Literacy, providing parents with valuable insights on supporting literacy during the winter break.
These family literacy initiatives are more than just programs—they are the foundation of strong partnerships between schools, families, and communities. By connecting families with resources and encouraging collaborative learning, these programs are strengthening academic growth and fostering a love of learning that will last a lifetime.
