In the midst of all the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic that sent us all into isolation, I was gifted a few silver linings.

My eldest daughter was expected home in mid-March for her spring break from the University of Ottawa. Little did she know she would be home for over four months, finishing her classes online, and living under her parents’ roof! It was such a joy having her here. She hadn’t been home for more than a two week break at Christmas for over 7 years, and here she was living at ‘home’ again.

She was home doing her schooling from a desk in the spare bedroom, and her Dad and I were also working from home due to the pandemic.  I set up my office at the dining room table and her Dad was downstairs at a makeshift work station.

We would wake up and have coffee together before setting off to our work areas. We would often make lunch together or take a break midday and go for a walk along the river.  At 3:30, she would convince me to do a workout or yoga with her in the yard - she was a great motivator. At around 5:00, we would meet for cocktails on the deck before making dinner together. It was something I never imagined I would be doing with my adult daughter. We were able to catch up on each other’s lives more than we had in a very long time.

Computers became a key part of our work, socializing and shopping world.  Online connecting became a large part of our daily existence during the spring. Between work and social connections, we were on our computers most of the day.

My daughter had distant movie nights with her friends from university. It was an opportunity for her to connect with her peers and do something fun together. We did zoom calls with our siblings, nephew and nieces all over the world to check in. We ordered things online that we would normally go to pick up downtown. It made us realize that we could do so much more online than we ever anticipated.

In May, our youngest daughter also returned home for a month. Now we were complete! We made the most of our time together. We had to rely on each other to take turns venturing outside our bubble for groceries. We volunteered to deliver groceries to seniors. We set up a raised garden bed and planted kale, lettuce, tomatoes and squash. Each night at 7:00, we would join our neighbours on our doorstep to cheer the health care workers with our noise makers. It was an opportunity to connect with others and see how everyone was coping. We counted on each other, kept each other going and tried to stay positive in a very stressful time.

It is now August and both daughters have flown the coop…again! My youngest is back in Vancouver, still working remotely. My eldest has moved to Vancouver for the summer. On her departure, she remarked at how grateful she was for the time spent with us and how lucky she was to have had all that extra time with her mom and dad.

I gained a new (and broader) appreciation for literacy during this time. I realized how important it is to stay connected to people and how we can alter the way we do things. How important computers became to many of us and how some people don’t have the same access to them as others. I am more aware of what we need to do in our community to help with the digital divide. I began hand writing letters to connect with loved ones that I knew didn’t have a computer. 

I recognize how lucky I was to have the things I did and, even though we are in a significant, extraordinary and daunting time of our lives, I was able to find a few silver linings. 

Rhonda Palmer
Community Literacy Coordinator Castlegar
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy

When I was your age...

When I was your age, we read the newspapers, there was no radio.

When I was your age, we listened to the radio, there was no TV.

When I was your age we watched TV, but only on Saturday mornings and Sunday night Disney. There was only one channel.

When I was your age, we watched cable TV, but there was no internet.

When I was your age...

They say that the only constant in life is change. I believe it, especially when I look at the way technology is advancing and the impact that it has on our world. The place I see this impact the most seems to be with my children. Parenting has NEVER been easy. It is a hard job. That being said, parenting in the digital world can be a difficult thing to navigate.

When I was your age, there was no YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, Minecraft, Roblox, Facebook, Instagram – I’ll stop there, but you get the idea. There is a never-ending stream of new social media platforms, apps and games that our children are wanting to access, and I have no clue what most of them are all about.

I don’t necessarily want to know what they are all about, but I know that I should as a responsible parent. So I try. I read and I research. And then I read other people’s research and I try to come up with a plan.  And then, the plan changes because there is a new platform that my child would prefer. Ahhhhh!

Does any of this sound familiar? If it does, I promise that there is hope. We do not need to research every new game and app. We need to TALK to our children. Conversations about being a good digital citizen and staying safe online are the answer, and the best part is that other people have created a way to start these conversations for us!

Here are a few examples of great resources for parents to use. As with many things, it’s never too early to start the digital conversation and it's important to keep it going. It's not a one time thing.

https://mediasmarts.ca/sites/default/files/guides/digital-citizenship-guide.pdf
https://flipflashpages.uniflip.com/2/88537/1102290/pub/html5.html
https://www.thewhitehatter.ca/resources

If we have an open and honest conversation about the online world our children are exposed to, we have the best shot and knowing if something is amiss and the best shot at our children recognizing and sharing with us when it happens. We will never be able to keep up with the all the technology changes. It’s an exercise in futility!

So engage your children early and talk about what digital footprints, digital citizenship and online privacy mean – teach critical thinking – it never ages. 

Looking for more support on how to talk with your children about the digital world? Contact the nearest CBAL community literacy coordinator nearest you.

Melanie Myers
Community Literacy Coordinator Golden
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy

                                                                                                                                   Photo credits: Lyle Grisdale

Spring birds make the world come alive with music. Some may think of it as a bunch of confusing sounds. Indeed, it is a birdy party out there and it’s a great time to learn who is in the neighbourhood.
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Identifying birds can provide hours of entertainment as well as opening a window to lifelong learning.  Many bird guides illustrate what a bird looks like, but did you know that birds are also commonly identified by their sounds?

Many birds migrate north in the spring, and some stay here to nest. Once the leaves are out, birds are more difficult to see, and sound is very often the best way to detect a bird’s presence. Some birds look very similar, but their songs or calls will be different. As well as relying on colour and size and flight pattern and habitat, you can also learn bird identification by listening!

Birds make different sounds for different reasons. Songs usually have more melody. The reason bird song is so prevalent in the spring is because it’s a male’s way of protecting territory or attracting a mate. Once nesting starts, it becomes much quieter. Calls, on the other hand, are usually a simpler sound that both sexes make when they are alarmed or want to keep in touch with each other.

If you have ever tried to learn a new language, you will know that you start off with very basic words before attempting more complicated words.  

The same methods can be used for learning to identify birds by sound (except there is no 2-way conversation, of course!). Mastering the sounds of one or two species is the key to learning more; as you build up your mental library, you’ll have more practice and more sounds to compare to.

It can be overwhelming, as there can be many species on the airwaves at the same time. There is always a point in the year when most birders suffer from ‘critical bird-brain overload’! 

While some birds have a consistent sound wherever you find them, others appear to have dialects. For example, the Song Sparrow and the Ruby-crowned Kinglet, both common birds sound different here in the Kootenays than at my previous home in northern BC.

Some bird calls are more easily remembered by using mnemonics. The Great Horned Owl hoots “Who’s awake? Me too!” while the Barred Owl says “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all”? A popular favourite, the Olive-sided Flycatcher, calls out “Quick, 3 beer!” 

Spectrograms are a visual way to interpret a bird sound. They’re graphs that show you the frequency, or pitch, of a sound (rising, falling, steady), its quality (buzzy, clear, trilled), and how these change throughout (creating sections). Once you learn this, it may be a valuable tool to helping you remember what you heard, as well as identify the sound.

If you are interested in starting to learn about birds, contact your local naturalist club. Most publish a check list, and these narrow down which birds are found in your area and at which times of year.

There are good birding apps that you can add to your phone or tablet, which include visuals as well as audio. That way you can identify a bird when you see it or hear it. (Note: the Merlin app is free)!  If you are looking for some more technological help, a new app called Song Sleuth allows you to record the bird and helps you to identify it.

There are also some very good websites that provide excellent learning tools.
https://www.audubon.org/section/birding-ear
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/
 
If you are a music lover, may this bird opera bring you joy as you head out to see who’s in your neighbourhood today!

For information about CBAL’s literacy programs in your community go to www.cbal.org

Carol Fairhurst
Community Literacy Coordinator Kimberley
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy

A few weeks ago, as a girlfriend and I were catching up, I mentioned my despair over finishing my last novel. I explained how I was going through what I term, “book withdrawal” - the gloomy phase that happens after completing an incredible book. The period where you don’t know what to read next and fear that nothing will compare to the blissful weeks you spent buried in your last novel. To my surprise she responded, “I’m not actually much of a reader. Maybe I’m missing out.”

Now, reading isn’t for everyone, I understand that. But since then, I’ve thought about that conversation a lot. Not only can I not imagine a life without reading book after glorious book, but it made me pause and realize what a wonderful journey I’ve had with books over my lifetime.

For me, it all started with Archie comics. It was the first series that I couldn’t get enough of. I remember going on long family road trips and sitting in the back with a stack of comics, content. My dad used to buy them by the box at garage sales to help satisfy my appetite. To this day, I’ve always been able to relate to Art Spiegelman’s quote, “Comics are a gateway drug to literacy.”

Next it was The Babysitters Club and R.L.Stein’s Goosebumps and then the wonderful world of Roald Dahl. It was clear at a young age that I had an eagerness to read. The seed had been planted.

I’ll admit, my teenage years took me down a different reading journey. Novels turned into teen magazines and reading became research to discover the latest fashions, heart throbs and answers to my burning questions: “I0 Ways to Know If Your Crush is into You”.

By the time I hit college, reading was back in full force. Of course, I didn’t get to choose what I read but I certainly read. A lot. I don’t think I read one novel in all my time in college. Between maintaining a GPA and a social life, it really didn’t fit in. However, I remember realizing shortly after graduating that I had freedom. Not only to do what I wanted, but also to read. To choose a book that I wanted and to read it on my time.

Fortunately, I still get to bask in this freedom. It is not unusual for me to have two or three titles on the go at one time because even though I like to read daily, what I’m in the mood for reading varies. My ideal companion is paperback fiction accompanied by a glass of red wine and a bubble bath. Although I’ve also been known to read a gardening book front to back as my nightly indulgence.

These thoughts have also led me to wonder how much my book resume has led me to the people I surround myself with. I may have only met someone a few times but as soon as I hear that we’ve both swooned over the same novels, I suddenly realize they are part of my tribe. In fact, some of these people have even advanced, in my mind, as my Book Soul Mates. Those friends or beloved bookstore attendants that have the same taste in books as me. Those people that I turn to, when I am going through withdrawal, to lead me in the right direction. Dare I say, to get my next fix. 
 
Now, as a mother, I’ve come full circle with reading. I have read to my children nearly every day of their lives and am now supporting them to learn to read themselves. This task has reminded me of the many challenges that come with reading. I’m humbled to remember a time when words on paper were foreign. The sheer frustration that comes from trying to bring meaning to the unknown symbols of our extremely challenging language. But more so, I’m reminded of the real challenge I face – how to maintain, in my children, a deep love of reading amongst the struggles.
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No matter the pace, there is no question that my children will learn to read. But what I strive for is something much greater, much more important. I want my children to want to read. I want them to maintain a hunger for curiosity;  an excitement to go anywhere and discover anything. A tool to access knowledge for the rest of their life…and enjoy it. I want them to develop the same addiction I have. In essence, I just don’t want them missing out!

Feel free to contact your local CBAL community literacy coordinator for tips on how to make reading at home with your children fun.

Sayre Knight
Community Literacy Coordinator Slocan Valley
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy

-Amid this time of upheaval, unrest and uncertainty, there is a golden opportunity to be had.

For families, the usual busyness of our lives has been temporarily put on hold. The COVID-19 pandemic we currently find ourselves in, is giving us an opportunity to reconnect. Take advantage of this moment.

I recently read a Facebook post by an American woman, Rebecca Arendell Frank living in Wuhan, China. She wrote the following post seven weeks into their lock down.

“Our family life has never been better. Usually one weekend is long enough before I'm ready to send each of us back to school or work. But for SEVEN weeks, we've been home together with very little outside influences or distraction, forced to reconnect with one another, learn how to communicate better, give each other space, slow down our pace, and be a stronger family than ever before.”

I’d like to hope Canadians will come through this with a fresh new perspective like she has.

With a canceled daycare program and a closed school, I am facing a dilemma common to most parents: kids at home with nothing to do. My 13-year-old and two-year-old have needs, interests and capabilities that are somewhat different, yet similar.

Routine, in my experience, is key for all ages. We all like a little structure to our days – having meals at regular times, a bedtime routine. These things are comforting and predictable. Now is the time to stick to those familiar rituals, but remember to allow for some downtime. Don’t feel you have to fill your children’s days with an endless array of activities.

Reconnect with your family by going for a walk, building a puzzle, making a craft, baking or cooking together, reading books, building forts, planting seeds and pretending this is just an extra-long weekend away.

Remember – we have just finished Spring Break and the province is still figuring out how they are going to be delivering the last few months of the school year outside the classroom. No need to panic about academics yet!

And if you’ve run out of ideas, there’s lots of help out there.

The BC Ministry of Education published a book called, “Let’s Play: Activities for Families”, full of inspiring and fun activities to do with kids.

Looking for some fresh books to read? The public libraries in BC continue to have a huge selection of ebooks, audio books and digital resources on their websites.

You can also check out Epic Books. This free site offers ebooks, games and audio books for kids 0-12 years old.

Enjoy your family time and have fun creating memories around a very pivotal moment in our world history.

Erin Perkins
Community Literacy Coordinator Boundary
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy

What does community mean to you? Is it the place you live, your church or your school? Is it your family, co-workers or friends? Or does it mean something else to you?

Simply put, community is a group of people who share particular attributes and have the strength of the connections among them.

As I find myself exploring what community means to me, I realize that I belong to many communities. Communities that vary between my personal life and my work life.

Community plays a large part in my work life. It’s even in my position title – I’m the community literacy coordinator in Salmo. Often, people think the “community” part of my role refers to the geographical place I work. While that is true, community means so much more to me.

For me, community in my work world is about the connection within a group. In my case, it’s people and organizations that are connected by a passion for literacy, and the desire to make a difference.  My literacy community includes program facilitators, volunteers, committee members and local partners.

These literacy warriors help strengthen the community in several ways. Family program facilitators provide opportunities for caregivers to learn how to support children’s literacy and learning at home.

Adult program facilitators provide opportunities for adults to learn something new in a supportive environment.
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Volunteers give the gift of their time to help students improve their reading skills.

Community Literacy Planning Committee members support literacy work by sharing information, and facilitating new connections.

It takes a community to build a healthy, literate society. Individuals with strong literacy skills are more likely to be involved in their communities, making change, making a difference.

I began my role as the community literacy coordinator in Salmo about three years ago. Something interesting about my role is that I am the coordinator for a village that I do not live in. When I started, it was challenging. I was basically on my own. It took time to get to know people. It took time to build connections. It took time to find program facilitators. It took time to meet community members.

Over the past three years, it has been amazing to watch how the literacy network has grown. We now have a total of 20 facilitators, volunteers, committee members, and community partners, in a community of 1100 people.  All of them are working to make a positive impact in Salmo.

Why is belonging, or having a sense of community important? Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? Maslow believed that behaviour was motivated by different needs. In order to reach our full potential, the more basic needs must be met before more complex needs can be fulfilled.

Our first needs are physiological - things like air, water and food. After that, we need to be safe. Then we need to feel a sense of love and belonging. As humans, we have a strong social need to feel connected. We are motivated to find those places where we belong.

Maslow says that belonging is essential to our overall health, productivity and well-being. I would have to agree! I am passionate about the work I do and the community that has been created because of it. At the end of the day, it’s the relationships you make within your communities that fill you up. These relationships create a sense of belonging and purpose.

I feel grateful for the relationships I have and the literacy work I am able to do. Without those connections and those people supporting me, much of what I do would not be possible. No matter what communities you consider yourself to be a part of, treasure those who accept, support, and help you to fulfill all the roles in your life.

Read more about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

If you are interested in becoming part of the CBAL literacy community, contact your local community literacy coordinator.
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Lori Dunn
Community Literacy Coordinator – Salmo
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy

Family Literacy Week is happening January 26 – February 2 and this year’s theme is “Let’s Read Together!” I love this theme, as I am passionate about reading books with children. I see reading as not only an essential part of building early literacy skills, but also as a way to connect as family, share some laughs and explore new places and people together.

Both of my kids, who are now 22 and 18, still remember their favourite books from when they were little. For my son, it was Where the Wild Things Are. For my daughter, it was the Bare Bear. Both of these books were gifts given to them by their grandma, and I still have both of them on my bookshelf. Every once in awhile, they will pick up those books and we take a trip down memory lane.

Reading with my children was always something that I enjoyed doing with them. Now that they are grown, I realize that it was a great way to create connections and spend quality time together. At the end of a long, busy day we all looked forward to piling into one of the kids’ beds for a cuddle and a few stories. It was an opportunity to come together, enjoy each other’s company and end the day with an enjoyable experience.

Having books in your home and reading at home increase school success and encourage positive feelings about reading. Borrowing books from your local library is a great way to provide a variety of choices for reading.

These days, there are ways to enjoy a story together digitally. There is a wonderful selection of stories read by astronauts (cool, eh?) on the website Story Time from Space. Or, how about a FaceTime story time? A grandma that I know does a FaceTime bedtime story with her grandchildren who live far away. It is that creative use of technology that keeps her connected with her family, gives them something to look forward to and is creating long-lasting memories.

This Family Literacy Week (and beyond), “Let’s Read Together” with the little people in our lives. Everyone will be better for it!

For more information on what is happening in your CBAL community during Family Literacy Week, contact your local community literacy coordinator.
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Happy reading!
 
Sandy Kalesnikoff
Community Literacy Coordinator – Invermere Valley
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy.

December 25, 1996 was a Wednesday. In Canada, people would surely have taken most of that whole week off of work. School would have been out, families would have been baking their favourite holiday treats, gathering with friends and travelling to visit relatives.

On that Christmas day in 1996, I was teaching all day and missing home desperately. Schools and businesses were open and when I expressed my disappointment, my Japanese friends told me that Christmas was only “for lovers”. They had no plans beyond those of a regular Wednesday evening in Japan – a trip to the local izakaya (pub), or maybe some karaoke where Wham’s “Last Christmas” would be played again and again. I spent a lonely evening at home that year wishing I were waking up with my family and starting the day with all the traditions I remembered so fondly.

New Year’s celebrations, however, were a different story altogether! My colleagues, friends and students returned to their family homes for three days of eating, drinking, relaxing and celebrating. I was off work and was privileged to be invited to many gatherings. I learned new cultural things, tried specialty food, enjoyed hearing family stories and felt that warmth that I had been craving only a week earlier.

Holidays, especially meaningful ones, can be a very lonely time for newcomers. Even a commonly observed holiday such as Christmas may have traditions that vary greatly from country to country when it comes to food, timing and ceremony. Do we open presents on the 24th, go to midnight mass, or have food and gifts blessed at a church? Are there stockings, or shoes, or Santa at all? How do we explain the frenzy of Boxing Day sales in Canada, or the unusual tradition of mummering in Newfoundland?

In the Western world, Christmas is arguably the most celebrated of holidays. But what of Eid, Passover, or Nowruz? On the calendar, they don’t fall within our “Happy Holidays” season. Finding traditional food and places to worship or people to celebrate with can be difficult for newcomers to Canada. Being expected to work on a holiday is, as I experienced, lonely and a little frustrating. I am certain I didn’t put my best efforts in to planning those Christmas Day lessons. Even those who are well-settled in the country they are living in may experience home-sickness, or culture shock around their holiday season.

Welcoming newcomers to our community includes celebrating with them – our holidays, and theirs. One of the nicest things I experienced when living overseas was being invited to a family gathering and learning how to share in the celebrations. It is a fantastic opportunity to learn about a local culture, food and traditions. On the other hand, it is equally important to ask about how other holidays are recognized in a person’s home culture. Many of us have limited knowledge of non-western celebrations. Offering to help source traditional food items, or provide an opportunity for someone to share their culture may seem like small things, but they can go a long way to fostering the feeling of belonging to a community.

Whatever you may be celebrating this season, take a moment to consider how you might include another in your festivities. Canadians may have a lot to share, but we also have a lot to learn!

CBAL offers programs and services for newcomers to Canada. For more information on the our settlement program, click here.

Carolyn Amantea
Community Literacy Coordinator – Trail & Area
​Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy

We know our children need to learn how to manage money, but it’s not always so clear how to help them with this. Koreen Morrone, Community Literacy Coordinator in Revelstoke, is here to help! She has delivered many workshops on this subject and has guided parents on how to get their kids on the right track with money. Here are a few of the most common questions she gets…and her answers.
 
At what age can I start teaching my children about money?

Start early - it will lay a strong foundation to ensure they have success with money throughout their whole lives. 

Young children (3 & 4 year olds) can develop an understanding of basic money concepts. You can start by playing games, such as grocery store, where they learn that money is exchanged for objects. As children get older (5 & 6 years old), you can work on identifying coins, counting a set amount of coins and giving them money to spend. Continue to build upon that as they get older.

Children learn about how to handle money by watching their parents.
 
How do I start teaching my children about money?

Keep it simple and age appropriate.

Let your children handle your money when paying at a store. Trips to the bank or store can be used to start a conversation about your values and how you use money. Trips to the ATM can bring about a conversation that there is not an unlimited supply of money and that you can’t take money out that you haven’t put in.

By talking with your children, you can shape their thoughts on spending, saving and sharing money.
 
What are some of the main ideas that I should help my children understand?

In a nutshell, they need to understand….

• most money is earned
• there is a difference between needs and wants
• the principles of spending, saving and sharing money

Explain that mom, or dad or both get up and go to work every day to earn money. Money allows you to buy the things that you need like food, clothes, and electricity to light the house. It also allows you to buy the things that you may want. Explain that you may need to wait to purchase the things that you want. And finally, let them know that it’s nice to share some of your money with causes you believe in.
 
Won’t my children learn about money in school?

Children may learn money basics in school, but there are limitations.

Kids learn best by experience and practice which will happen outside of school and where parents have the most influence.
 
What is the best way to teach my children how to manage money?

The best way is give them some money of their own to manage!

This could come about in many ways: an allowance, birthday money or by getting paid for doing odd jobs around the house. It is up to each family to decide what would work best.  When a child has their own money they have to decide what to spend it on. They won’t always spend it well, but that’s part of the learning.
 
How do I prevent them from making too many mistakes on how they spend their money?

Talk with them.

Before your child buys something, discuss with them if there might be other ways they would like to spend their money. Point out the trade-offs of each choice, but leave the final decision to them.

Discuss their long term goals. Is there something bigger they would like to save for? This will help teach them the habit of making good decisions.

When they have decided on a purchase, teach your child about comparing prices for a specific product at different stores to see where they could get the best price.
 
What if they make a mistake?

Your children will make mistakes, everyone does!

Mistakes are learning opportunities. Use this as a chance to discuss the choice that they made and the reasons behind it. Help them work through what they could do next time.

It is much better to learn the lesson of poor money management on smaller purchases as a child rather than on bigger purchases as an adult.

Final thoughts

Everyone needs to be taught how to manage money well. It's best to start early with your children, but it's really never too late to start.

For more information about teaching children money management skills, contact your local community literacy coordinator. 

Koreen Morrone
Community Literacy Coordinator - Revelstoke
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy

Newcomers to Canada are faced with a variety of challenges, from learning a new language to adjusting to a new culture. In Fernie, newcomers were also struggling with getting to our English language classes because they had young children and no childcare. A solution was needed, so in March 2019 we started offering free childminding. What a difference that made!

What began as a simple program offering basic childminding quickly evolved into something much more. We were also delivering a program that supported the children’s language and social development through play. Many of these children were experiencing songs, stories, and play in English for the first time. With time, patience and consistency, the children in our program began to feel safe and understood. Their stress levels decreased. By having the children on site, we were providing a program for the kids, as well as supporting the adult’s parenting and English-learning journeys.  
 
Childminding is provided in a separate space beside the language classroom. Having the children close by has given us the ability to take a more holistic approach to our support. We are able to forge strong relationships with the entire family. We can link families to local support services such as speech pathology. We have been able to provide the families with guidance as their child navigates the transition to kindergarten. We have helped children become comfortable spending time apart from their mothers.

Our adult English language classes with childminding benefit the whole family. We are able to build connections and a support community for these newcomers to Canada. The childcare portion of this program is funded, in part, by our annual Books for Kids campaign. Books for Kids runs through November in all CBAL communities. To learn more about CBAL programs, or the Books for Kids campaign in your community, contact your local community literacy coordinator at cbal.org

Laura Vaughan                                               
Family & Adult Facilitator – Elk Valley                                   
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy 
 
Chrisy Hill
Community Literacy Coordinator – Elk Valley
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy