Literacy is considered a factor in the economic competitiveness of a country. However, in some EU countries, the reading literacy rates of children aged 10 and 15 are truly worrying, as a substantial proportion of youngsters are low performing readers, according to PIRLS and PISA reading achievement studies conducted since 2000. Although there is a growing body of evidence that family literacy initiatives have long-term, positive impacts on the life chances of children from disadvantaged backgrounds, family literacy is still a marginal domain in many respects. For good quality, effective family literacy programmes, well trained family literacy facilitators (FLF) are necessary. For these reasons, in FLW, we aim to contribute to excellent family literacy programmes by:- identifying good practice in the field of family literacy in Europe;- defining the core competences of family literacy facilitators (FLF);- developing and piloting a coherent FLF training programme (curriculum, methodology, learning materials).Our project will train 55 FLFs and provide family literacy programmes for 275 disadvantaged families (at least 550 people) in five countries. In all, we intend to reach 2,750 people, who will become better aware of the significance of family literacy, and will be more open to engaging in such literacy skills development programmes.To achieve this, we will first conduct a comparative analysis of family literacy programmes that we can identify in the partners' countries in order to identify the types of specific tasks FLF need to perform. This will inform the description of the occupational profile of a family literacy facilitator in terms of specific competences and qualifications. Based on the profile, we will design a training programme for FLFs, which we will pilot on 55 trainee FLFs. The piloting will be accompanied by a research component to document the changes that occur in the competences of the trainee FLFs and to assess the effectives of the training programme. In order to be able to deliver the training programme and to conduct the research, 15 trainers and researchers will be trained in a 5-day short-term joint staff training event. To ensure that the project is implemented as best possible, 5 transnational project meetings will be organised.The project will produce four intellectual outputs: a comparative analysis of good practice in family literacy programmes in the partner countries; the occupational profile (competences, qualifications) of FLFs; a training programme and methodology including learning materials for FLFs, and a research report on the effectiveness of the pilot phase of the FLF training programme. The project outputs, as well as the project overall, and its results, will be disseminated widely to relevant stakeholders, using a variety of channels and dissemination instruments, virtual and face-to-face, including 6 press releases, 1 article in a teachers’ journal, 6 multiplier events (one-day conferences) in 5 locations to be attended by adult educators, trainers, librarians, community facilitators, higher education institutions, local public authorities (social services), local and regional education authorities, etc. The impact of our project will be visible at the level of the partner organizations: increased capacity to deliver family literacy programmes and to cooperate with other organizations/ institutions in promoting family literacy; at the level of the target groups: better family literacy facilitation skills, better literacy skills, improved attitude to literacy learning; improved awareness of literacy-supportive home learning environments; increased awareness of the importance and potential of family literacy programmes including for reducing the rate of school drop-out. The longer-term benefits will include lower early school leaving rates and better achievement among struggling literacy learners.
The main theme of the project is set out from the title of the project: family literacy. The choice of theme was made as a result of reality observed: the decisive influence that literacy skills have on children academic success and their social integration. Two factors contribute greatly to overcoming the threats of social exclusion and poverty: the role and attitude of the family in creating a literary environment conducive to learning, and early education. The aim of the project was to sustain families in literacy skills by supporting reading in order to increase the access of children from disadvantaged backgrounds, to quality education. The five partners organizations of the project were selected for their experiences and expertise in literacy and educational programs with children and adults and participation together in other European projects. Learn&Vision Association was the coordinator of the project. The proposed objectives ensured consistency and quality in achievement. Thus, based on a comparative analysis, good literacy practices have been identified in the partner countries (O1). Professional competencies have been defined for a new occupational profile, "Facilitator of family literacy" (O2). The training course for facilitators (curriculum, methodology, learning materials) (O3) has been developed. The facilitators have designed literacy programs piloted in families. The analysis of the piloting efficiency of the family literacy training program, by various methods, has supplemented the research component removed from the project application. All the objectives were accompanied by methodologies that contributed to a unity of vision, integrating cultural differences. The debates in the project meetings played an important role in achieving the objectives, in compliance with the quality standards. An important role in designing the literacy facilitator course in the family was LTT Activity, with a high scientific level, Portugal, February 2018. The achievement of the objectives was completed by the translation of the project results in the participating countries' languages and ensuring free access. The projects’ results were possible because all partners had experience in European projects and expertise on the issue of family literacy, teamwork skills, cooperation and experiences from different cultural contexts. The objectives were finalized by the results of the project: 1. The Comparative analysis of good literacy practices in the family in Bulgaria, Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia(IO1) is a report based on a Research Methodology that proposes the collection of data for comparative analysis using a questionnaire on the literacy programs of the participating countries and identifying six good literacy practices in the family, one for each country, two for Romania. 2. Occupational profile of Family Literacy Facilitator(IO2). This intellectual product was based on a comparative analysis of good practice as a prerequisite for design the ocupational profile. A condition assumed by the project, also achieved, was the harmonization of the profile with the Eurpean Qualifications Framework to increase the chances of validation on the labor market. 3. Family Literacy Facilitators Training Program(IO3)The curriculum is based on the FLF occupational profile (IO2). The following 6 key Competence Areas include the competencies of FLF: Professional Competences, Pedagogy and Andragogy Competences, Facilitation Competencies, Interpersonal and Social Relations Competences, Organizational Competences, Personal Growth Competencies. 111 people from the 5 countries participated in the training course for family literacy facilitators(vs 55 planned). They delivered pilot programs to 608 children and adults, many of whom were from disadvantage families. Through the activities carried out on the project, face-to-face or on-line 3102 people were involved. Project visibility was achieved through multiplayer events (8 vs. 6 planned), attended by 377 stakeholders vs 240 anticipated: educators, trainers, librarians, social assistances, local authorities. Another impact has been achieved through media and social media appearances (e.g. 6 press releases, 10 articles) more than we anticipated. The impact of our project at the level of each partner organizations means an increased capacity to offer family literacy programmes, cooperation with other organizations in promoting family literacy and ensures national visibility on the issue of family literacy; The facilitators trained in the program won better family literacy facilitation skills, improved awareness of literacy-supportive home learning environments and interactive methods of learning. The novelty of the project is that it brings together the results in an effective package in different national contexts, which define the professional profile of the family literacy facilitator, skills and competencies achieved through curriculum.