Centre for Expertise in Family Literacy

Upgrading for Parents with Pre-Schoolers

What is in the program?

Learning materials are grouped under these nine themes. If you plan to deliver them all, we suggest you do it in the order shown above. However, each theme unit is self-contained so you can choose the ones that time and circumstances permit.

Each unit contains a combination of printable teaching materials and computer activities, along with notes for the instructor. In some cases there will be additional props that you will need to gather or prepare.

In the UPP sessions participants can look forward to:

	sharing their parenting experiences through discussion, reading and writing
	upgrading their knowledge of math and computers
	practising problem-solving strategies
	expanding their knowledge of children’s growth and development
	discovering the value of reading and playing with their children
	trying new activities at home with their children
	being part of a group that values their ideas, feelings and experiences
	gaining confidence in their role as their child’s first teacher

How much time is needed?

This depends on how you deliver the program.

There are nine themes developed in UPP. You will want to spend more or less time with some of these themes, depending on who you have in your group. For example, some parents will need more training in supporting Literacy at Home; some might appreciate spending more time on Planning and Budgeting.

You will find enough material in the units for 18 sessions (or more). If this is to be a family literacy program with a distinct beginning and end, it could be:

18 sessions ÷ 1 session per week = 18 weeks

18 sessions ÷ 2 sessions per week = 9 weeks

Twice a week is probably the most you would want to do because this gives parents a chance to go home and try out some of their newly learned parenting ideas, then come back and share with the group.

If childcare is being offered at the same time as the adult program, then a reasonable time frame for each session is:

2 hours in class + ½ hour interactive time for parents and children = 2½ hours

We have found that morning sessions work best for families with young children.

If learners are spending more hours in your program each week than just the UPP sessions, they might like to link their other upgrading activities with the theme of the week. In the Above and Beyond sections, suggestions are included for follow-up activities. You and the learners will have to gather and develop these materials, though. The ball is in your court there.

Essential Skills

For the most part, these materials are written for adults who are working at LBS levels 2 and 3, which correspond to Essential Skills levels 1 and 2. Some activities may give opportunities to use Essential Skills at level 3.

While the Essential Skills framework was first developed to define skills used in the workplace, it is also applicable to other aspects of daily life—studying, socializing, volunteering, running a home and raising a family. Essential Skills are the foundation on which most other skills are built. They are—wait for it—essential.

If your group is not familiar with the term Essential Skills, you could introduce the topic with the Essential Skills mini-lesson provided. It is probably best not to do this in your very first session. You may find it easier to capture the attention and interest of your participants by diving straight into the parenting topics. Later, when you have completed a few lessons, deliver the mini-lesson and then use the Essential Skills Check-In chart to show participants how many Essential Skills they have been using all along.

Each person is an individual; few people have the exact same skill profiles. One person may have strong writing skills but may struggle with math. Another may have a lot of trouble reading a short article from the newspaper but may be skilled at getting information from a brochure or a webpage. Focusing on Essential Skills can be a way of increasing learners’ self-esteem. Someone who has always seen themselves as ‘not good in school’ comes to realize, Hey, I may be a poor reader but I am a great problem solver, oral communicator and team player. Labelling these skills gives them more credibility.

Multi-level groups

As most adult educators know, there is often a wide range of skill levels and abilities in an adult class. In each theme unit you will find materials that can be used at various skill levels. In some activities you can use the same worksheet for everyone, giving help where it is needed so that every participant has a positive learning experience. In other activities such as writing, you would have different expectations for learners at different levels: the learner with beginning level skills might write a sentence or two, while the more advanced writer might produce three or four paragraphs.

Creative grouping is another way of working with multi-level groups. At times you can have a person with stronger skills work with someone who needs more support. At other times you can have people with similar skills working together so that everyone feels challenged.

You may find that some of the activities need to be adapted to suit your unique group. You may decide not to use some activities at all. The choice is yours.

Children’s program

In each theme unit you will find a children’s program of activities. They correspond to the themes that their parents will be exploring on the same days.

Snacks and perhaps a bit more

If children are spending the whole morning in your childcare program they will definitely need a healthy mid-morning snack. So be sure to plan ahead for this.

If you have the facilities and funds to do so, why not provide lunch for everyone— parents, children and staff—at the end of the morning’s class? Most parents will appreciate not having to rush home and rustle up a quick meal for their hungry children.

The other built-in advantages of sharing a meal:

	Sitting down to enjoy a meal together builds a sense of community within the group.
	You can introduce families to new and healthy food choices and food preparation.
	Parents will be able to share good ideas about food and learn from each other.
	You can show how healthy food does not have to be expensive.
	It provides positive role models for parents and children who often experience meal time as a power-struggling battleground.
	It reassures anxious parents that their picky eaters really are getting enough to eat.

Be sure to discuss and plan menus with your group in the first session. Find out if there are any food allergies among the adults and children. As well, there are certain foods that some people may not eat for religious or cultural reasons.

Check out the Early Literacy and Nutrition Activity Cards on The Centre for Expertise in Family Literacy website.

Here you will find a collection of recipes from the UPP program.

Use Canada’s Food Guide when planning balanced meals and age-appropriate serving sizes.

There is also a Canada's Food Guide - First Nations, Inuit and Métis for Aboriginal families in your group.

If your group is multicultural, you can use a feature on the Canada’s Food Guide website to customize the guide with foods from many different cultures. It is also available in several languages.

Useful paperwork

Publicity Poster

Here is a flyer that you can use to recruit participants for your UPP program. You will need to add details of time, place, etc.

Registration Form

If your program does not already have a registration form, here is one to print. It includes an interest questionnaire that will give you some idea of what has motivated people to come to a family literacy program. You can use their responses to help you decide which areas to emphasize. Some participants may need to have the questionnaire read to (or with) them.

Initial Skills Assessment

This assessment tool gives a quick picture of participants’ skill levels. Go through it with each participant individually before the first session begins. You may have to schedule appointments for this. Reassure the participant that this is not the kind of assessment that they will pass or fail. Instead, its purpose is to give you an idea of how much support they will need in order to be successful in the program. It will also help you decide how to organize people for pairs or small group work.

The chart on the first two pages gives guidelines for interpreting participants’ responses. The chart that follows is for you to print off and use during each assessment.
Please note: Read the assessment questions out loud to the participant and write the responses. The chart is not meant to be given out to participants for them to fill in.

Word Search Template

Use this blank template to create vocabulary exercises whenever you think participants would enjoy them. Fill in the words all over the grid. List the words below the grid. To make it more challenging, you can have the words running up, down, from left, from right and diagonally. Also, instead of giving a word list, you could give clues.

Program Evaluation by Participants

Use this to gather participants’ comments at the end of the program.

Certificates of Achievement

If you plan to award certificates at the end of the UPP sessions, you will find instructions for making wallet-sized ones here.

Resource list

Free teaching resources

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