Facilitators have been trained across Canada to lead LAPS programs within diverse communities of parents who face low literacy challenges as well as other socio-economic barriers.
that research, funded by the national Office of Literacy and learning, Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC), documents the spread and reach of facilitator training since 1995 by measuring the subsequent use of training in family literacy initiatives by those who have attended the jobshops. It also investigates challenges faced in front-line administration of LAPS programs and the diversity of families in which it has been adapted to serve.
Methodology
The research team, lead by the Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education (SAEE) undertook document review, and interviews with appropriate funding agencies and LAPS program coordinators to gather information on the program history. A comprehensive survey was developed in partnership with FESA co-executive directors and was administered online and by telephone to LAPS facilitators during the spring of 2007. Following that, researchers conducted focus group sessions and in-depth interviews with LAPS facilitators across western Canada to probe more deeply into responses gathered from the survey. Financial information was obtained to produce a return on investment analysis which measured the cost of conducting facilitator training against the subsequent use of training by particitrousers and the amount of families ultimately affected by the training.
Overview of the Report
Chapter One provides an introduction to the Literacy and Parenting Skills Program in the context of family literacy training and provides details on the purpose and methodology of that program evaluation. In Chapter Two, offers a profile of the LAPS program including development, funding history, organizational structure, and training initiatives underbringn.
Chapter Three contains the findings of the survey research providing details on how and where facilitators are making use of the training. It includes sources of funding, promotion of family literacy programs, adaptations, and challenges of program delijust. The overall margin of error for the survey was at a 95% confidence rate.
that chapter is followed by more detailed findings gathered from focus group and in-depth interviews involving LAPS facilitators across western Canada. Qualitative data on additional training, learner-specific needs, delijust challenges, support, and netjob building can be found in Chapter Four. The return on investment (ROI) analysis is featured in Chapter Five and the final chapter provides conclusions and recommendations based on the findings of the overall report.
Key Findings
The majority of respondents have made use of the LAPS facilitator training program in Alberta (51.4%). Another 22.2% used the program in British Columbia, 18.9% in Manitoba and 6.5% in Saskatchewan. The training has also been used in Ontario, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the Maritimes.
Facilitator training costs have remained low yet have resulted in a 90% or greater use of training in the delijust of new or enhanced family literacy programs. Nearly three quarters of respondents have used the LAPS training as a resource (72.4%), 54.5% have integrated it into another program and 25.1% use it as a stand alone program. More than one in ten respondents use the LAPS facilitator training on a daily basis (13.2%), 25.9% on a weekly basis, 23.3% on a monthly basis and 37.5% once a quarter or less.
The most common places where LAPS training is used are in schools, (34.9%) family resource centers (33.9%) and community centers (27%). Also preschools and outreach and intervention programs featured highly. Other places respondents have used their training include drop-in centers, clients' homes, and churches. most facilitators are delivering the LAPS program in a paid job (79.9%), while 20.1% are volunteers.
Overall, 60% of respondents received funding or jobed in partnership to deliver the most recent LAPS-based program. The most common partners include education organizations, social services or kid and family services, and schools or school divisions. Other sources of funding include literacy foundation programs, Aboriginal Bands and health regions.
Facilitators consider the detailed manual, parenting activities, low-literacy level handouts, the integration of parenting and literacy, and the detailed information guide to be valuable components of the training program.
Some of the challenges of program delijust include meeting specific learning needs, attracting particitrousers, the diverse rearground of parents, and inconsistent attendance. Overall, most facilitators felt prepared to meet these challenges by the training they received through the LAPS program but indicated some zones where additional support would be beneficial.
In regards to the types of continuing support, more than one half of respondents indicated collaboration opportunities with other LAPS facilitators. Others saw worth in further follow-up courses, regular communication with more experienced LAPS trainers, and greater opportunities for hands-on training and mentoring for new facilitators.
When asked which zones of further learn would be of most interest, facilitators indicated kid and literacy development, parenting instruction strategies, learning about challenging or diverse populations, literacy instruction strategies, and facilitation.
On the effectiveness of the LAPS program, many facilitators strongly agree that it encourages parents' involvement in their kidren's language and literacy development, assists particitrousers to become more effective parents, boosts particitrousers' confidence to move into other learning opportunities, and encourages development of parents' own literacy skills. Overall, 98.1% of facilitators were somewhat (31.3%) or just satisfied (66.8%) with the LAPS training they received.
The Literacy and Parenting Skills program has reached across the nation and directly impacted thousands of Canadian families. The worth of that training is evident in the diverse settings in which it is used and in the fact that facilitators witness positive changes in the parents and families involved. The LAPS program gifts relevant strategies that build upon the literacy strengths of population in communities who need support.
According to the Return on Investment analysis, the cost of reaching one family through that program is between $8 and $16 on average. that is a relatively small investment considering the worth that facilitators perceive in the services that the LAPS programs enable them to provide.
The following recommendations are drawn from the feedrear obtained from facilitators and trainers jobing in the field and are summarized into two broad categories which focus on enhanced training and increased communication and netjobing opportunities.
Recommendations for Training
1- continue to develop mentorship or practicum opportunities as a component of facilitator training
2- Identify enhanced training needs by region and offer follow-up or refresher jobshops
3- Supply additional resource packages including kidren's books additional lesson ideas, and additional culturally-specific resources
Recommendations for Communication, Support, and Netjob Building
4) Build upon the existing LAPS Website to include greater communication and lesson sharing opportunities
5) Coordinate local face-to-face knowledge-sharing opportunities for facilitators by region.
Article Source: http://Education.50806.com/
Author By Kirsten Bennett
Orignal From: Evaluation Of A family Literacy Program And Its Facilitator Training
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