VERNON – NDP MLA Harwinder Sandhu says funding boost to community-based Indigenous, adult and family literacy programs will help people gain skills in reading, writing, math and digital literacy.

“Most parents everywhere know the pure happiness that comes from reading bedtime stories to their children,” said MLA Sandhu. “With these investments, even more parents will be able to share in that joy and feel more confident in their own day-to-day lives.”

In Vernon, the Literary Society of the North Okanagan will provide the Adult Digital Literacy Program to residents of the Greater Vernon Area.

The New Democrat government is investing $2.9 million in the Community Adult Literacy Program which includes a one-time investment for 2021-22. This support will fund 97 programs, delivered by 66 organizations in 128 communities throughout the province.

Community based Indigenous, adult and family literacy programs are provided free of charge and delivered by community organizations, Indigenous-led organizations, and public-post secondary institutions. Literacy programming typically includes one-on-one tutoring and small-group instruction which supports all levels of literacy. In 2020, many programs shifted to online service delivery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn more: Adult literacy programs receive funding boost