English at First (LINC)
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What is English At First's role in early literacy?
Who do we serve (target population)?
Where can you find us?
How do we provide early literacy support for families/caregivers?
How do we provide early literacy support for service providers?
- We provide instruction to adults in the Canadian Language Benchmarks levels Literacy to Level 4 and provide periodic level evaluation; LINC is Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada
- English at First promotes early childhood literacy and supports newcomers adjusting to raising their children in Canada
Who do we serve (target population)?
- Permanent Residents, Convention Refugees, or persons to whom Canada intends to grant landed status, and their children aged 6 months to 6 years
Where can you find us?
- Assessment must first take place at one of The Language Assessment Centre's three locations
- YMCA Immigrant and Employment Services, 800 King St. W. (3rd Floor), Kitchener ON N2G 1E8, 519-579-9622
- YMCA Immigrant and Employment Services, 258 Hespeler Rd., Cambridge, ON N1R 3H3, 519-621-1621
- Conestoga College Language Instruction for New Canadians (LINC), 150 Main St. (1st Floor), Cambridge, ON
N1R 6P9, 519-740-8797
How do we provide early literacy support for families/caregivers?
- Free childcare while parents attend English classes (quality play-based childcare with literacy rich environments)
- Transportation assistance
- Instruction for adults in Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) levels Literacy to Level 4 and periodic evaluation
- Provides a small lending library and daily newspapers
- Field trips to the public libraries and other places
- Invites community speakers into class on a variety of topics
- Makes referrals to community agencies when necessary
- Staff trained in Literacy and the Youngest Learner as well as School’s Cool Program
- Provide information in many languages on topics related to raising children in Canada
- Make free children’s books available to families through the Institute for Cross Cultural Exchange
- Volunteers from the childcare program from Wilfrid Laurier University’s Community Service Learning Program, the Waterloo Region District School Board’s Work and Transition Support Program
How do we provide early literacy support for service providers?
- Support for staff in the ECE apprenticeship program
- Ongoing Staff professional development at annual TESL conferences and Child minding conferences
- Volunteer experience for students doing TESL placements
