Black Press and the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy (CBAL) are collecting donations for the third annual Reach a Reader campaign on Oct. 10. By making a donation to this campaign, you are supporting literacy programs in your community. Thank you for making the difference!
CBAL is the Columbia Basin and Boundary region not-for-profit literacy organization. CBAL programs support seniors, adults, families, youth and children of all ages improve English, reading, writing, numeracy, computer and workplace skills.
In Creston, family literacy programs aim to provide parents and caregivers with the skills needed to support their children’s literacy development. Parents Reading, Children Succeeding is a 10-week program for parents of children three to six years old, offered in partnership with the Creston and District Public Library, starting Oct. 21 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. The Making Connections program is for parents of school-aged children and provides a free dinner and childcare, so busy parents can attend. It will run in January and will consist of three standalone workshops, one on reading and one on phonics, both for parents of children in kindergarten to Grade 3, and the third on higher level thinking processes for parents of kids in Grades 4 to 6. Preregistration is required for both of these programs.
As well, CBAL offers a number of adult literacy programs that provide adult learners with the tools and skills needed to be successful in the modern world. Through the one-on-one adult literacy tutoring, people can improve their reading, writing, math or computer skills at their own pace, with the support of a tutor. CBAL also offers English as a second language classes at the College of the Rockies for beginners on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 12:30-3:30 p.m. and for intermediate level learners on Thursday mornings from 9 a.m.-noon. New this fall will be a seniors’ 10-week autobiographical writing program — watch the Advance for details.
Are you interested in attending a literacy program in your community? To learn more about CBAL programs, visit cbal.org or contact Creston community literacy coordinator Linda Steward at lsteward@cbal.org or 250-428-2664.
—COLUMBIA BASIN ALLIANCE FOR LITERACY