Supporting Island families

The PEI Literacy Alliance will continue to support Island families with a commitment of new funding from the provincial government.

Following the loss of the alliance’s federal core funding, the province has stepped in to provide necessary funding for the next two years.

Education, Early Learning and Culture Minister Doug Currie said literacy and learning are essential to success in today’s economy and society, and the alliance has been a literacy leader in our province for many years.

“Following news of the cut in federal funding, the premier asked my department to work with the Department of Workforce and Advance Learning to ensure this important programming continues,” Minister Currie said. “With the new funding, the alliance can continue to help Islanders gain the skills and confidence they need to become successful students and lifelong learners.”

In addition to this new organizational funding of $150,000, the province will continue to provide annual project funding of approximately $63,000 for the Summer Tutoring Program and other initiatives.

The PEI Literacy Alliance has supported literacy for many years in Island homes, communities and workplaces. It raises awareness of the impacts of literacy on individuals and the province, promotes family literacy and provides bursaries to adult learners. The alliance provides free literacy and numeracy tutoring to 700 children over the summer months and will soon offer literacy camps on PD days throughout the school year.

“This announcement clearly shows our government’s commitment to building a culture of literacy and learning in PEI,” said Amanda Beazley, acting executive director of the PEI Literacy Alliance. “We are grateful for this support and very much look forward to furthering our partnership.”

Workforce and Advanced Learning Minister Sonny Gallant said the provincial government will strengthen its partnership with the alliance over the next two years to further improve literacy and numeracy in the province.

“We will ask our federal partners to work with us during this time to find a longer-term solution that includes permanent core funding and sustainability for the PEI Literacy Alliance,” Minister Gallant said.