On the sidelines of World Family Literacy Day, it is high time that we talk about a reality that is too often ignored in Quebec: our province has significant literacy issues, particularly among children.
Posted at 1:00 p.m.
What is Literacy? This is what allows citizens, through the use of reading, to better understand and use the information available to them in all spheres of their lives.
The Quebec figures in this area are alarming:
– when they enter kindergarten, 27.7% of children are vulnerable in at least one area of development, which represents nearly 24,000 children. This proportion rises to 44.1% among children from a disadvantaged background;
– persistent reading difficulties in 7-year-old children quadruple the risk of dropping out of school at 15;
– currently, 19% of Quebecers are illiterate and 34.3% have great difficulty reading.
As if that were not enough, the health crisis linked to COVID-19 has also accentuated inequalities among toddlers, while many children in vulnerable situations have not had access to optimal linguistic exposure during the long months of confinement. A recent study by the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec points out that a good number of parents (43%) observe a delay in the development of their children due to the pandemic.
Since reading is the strongest indicator of educational success, the observation is clear: it is urgent to act, and this, as early as possible in children’s lives.
In this regard, public libraries are ideally positioned to increase the impact of a national family literacy strategy. Free, rooted in communities and accessible, they offer an optimal environment for the development of all citizens. Moreover, the Association of Public Libraries of Quebec (ABPQ) and the speech therapy department of the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières announced this week an initiative directly targeting the literacy needs of children. Its oral and written language stimulation program in the public library, Biblio-Jeux, will now feature a brand new component for children aged 6 to 12, which will be added to the activities for children aged 0 to 6 and their families.
So there is something positive: multiple solutions and tools are already available to support the development of literacy skills for all children in the province. Several actors and institutions (municipalities, governments, health professionals, etc.) can also offer a key contribution so that existing services are accessible, known, even improved.
For Quebec to respond effectively to current issues, we must remember the most important condition for success, because it is often forgotten: it is essential to involve parents, who are the first and best educators of a child.
Parents have a fundamental role to play with their children so that they develop good reading skills from birth. A toddler’s first contact with reading comes from his parents and supports his lifelong relationship with reading and writing. What’s more, it is generally the parents who mobilize the tools at their disposal to support their little ones.
Everyone in our society, especially those involved in literacy, must therefore recognize the essential contribution of parents and be aware that it is essential to support them.
Because they certainly need us, but above all, because we need them even more.