Early Childhood Literacy Harvest

Growing a Community of Practice

Gather  Share  Grow

The Early Childhood Literacy Harvest will bring together over 250 New Brunswick Early Childhood Educators who work in licensed Early Learning and Childcare Centres and Homes.  This event proudly recognizes and celebrates the early childhood profession in New Brunswick and will give you an opportunity to share and grow in your daily practices in early childhood literacy.

The event will kick off with an awe-inspiring presentation by Sheree Fitch – a multi-award-winning writer, speaker,
author of dozens of books, and educator.  With strong ties to New Brunswick we are thrilled to welcome her back to New Brunswick – her home away from home.  You will have over 10 early childhood literacy workshops and sessions to choose from and a chance to explore in the Literacy Learning Garden.

Registration Opens:  October 10, 2018

There is no registration fee for this event, and lunch and morning nutrition break is provided.  We will break down barriers of attendance by offering shared hotel accommodations at the Fredericton Inn for those travelling more than 100 kilometres.  You must request accommodation in the registration.  A travel reimbursement is also available for those travelling (carpooling required).   

• Admission reserved for educators working in licensed childcare centres and homes
• Maximum 2 tickets per centre
• Limited seats based on size of region
• Waiting list will be available and will open up November 1, 2018

This event is supported by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

For more information, contact your regional literacy facilitator (check out the flyer here).

ASD-West – Fredericton, Woodstock and Area: Megan.Moore@gnb.ca

ASD-East – Moncton and Area: Jessica.LeBlanc@gnb.ca

ASD-South – Saint John and Area: Avril.Wood-Toner@gnb.ca

ASD-North – Miramichi and Area: Rachel.Cameron-Dubé@gnb.ca (acting)

A new mental health initiative will help New Brunswickers by providing them access to therapeutic and self-help in hopes they find healing in what can be a long and painful journey through mental health, addiction or life’s challenges.

The Healing Books Project was founded by a Horizon Health Network (Horizon) client with lived experience and supported by professionals with a variety of backgrounds from Horizon’s Addictions and Mental Health team. She was inspired to create the project because of the support and hope she found in reading self-help and therapeutic books while in treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“This initiative is the result of perseverance and much work from the founder of the project who says books literally saved her life,” said Jill LeBlanc-Farquharson, Horizon’s director of Addictions and Mental Health, Moncton area.

The collection includes more than 1,300 books on addiction, anxiety, depression, mindfulness, stress, trauma and many more topics. The collection also has books for supporters, caregivers, and family members to help them deal with the many challenges they also face.

The creator of the program, together with Horizon’s Addictions and Mental Health team members, approached New Brunswick Public Library Service (NBPLS) to partner to grow the program, bringing a collection of books to store in the provincial library’s expansive and accessible catalogue.

The project was then awarded $25,000 grant from MindCare New Brunswick, a committee of the Board of Directors within the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation that funds programs across the province that promote mental wellness and provide services to those living with mental illness.

As a result of this collaboration, all New Brunswick residents with an N.B. Public Libraries card now have access, at no cost, to English and French books, eBooks, and audiobooks, as well as resources for those with print disabilities.

The grant was used for the purchase of print books in the collection. Ebooks and audiobooks in the project were purchased through other means.

Books in the Healing Books Project are identifiable by a butterfly icon, which appears on the item’s online catalogue record, as well as on a bookplate inside books.

Books are also part of a space within the NBPLS online catalogue called the Mental Health “room.”

Books will be available to borrow through all 63 public libraries in the province and through the New Brunswick Public Libraries provincial online catalogue. Books will also be available through Library Services by Mail.

To learn more about the project, click here.

The Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick (LCNB) is calling for nominations for the 2018 Dr. Marilyn Trenholme Counsell Literacy Awards. The awards recognize outstanding achievements of individuals or groups in the field of literacy, essential skills and lifelong learning. Awards will be presented to worthy recipients in the following categories: Early Childhood Literacy; Community Literacy Programs; Individual Outstanding Contributions to Literacy; Business/Corporate Literacy Initiatives; and Workplace Essential Skills.

 “The 2018 Dr. Marilyn Trenholme Counsell Literacy Awards recognize those who work tirelessly to help ensure a better quality of life for all New Brunswickers, through the advancement of literacy, essential skills and lifelong learning.”

The deadline for nominations is Monday, October 1^st. Nomination forms can be found here or you can download an editable versionhere. Version française ici.

The Dr. Marilyn Trenholme Counsell Literacy Awards began as The Lieutenant Governor’s Literacy Awards in 1998, and continued since 2003 through the generosity of the Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick (LCNB). During her tenure as Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Trenholme Counsell focused on early childhood development, particularly early childhood literacy, in recognition of her life as a mother, family physician and New Brunswick’s first Minister of State for the Family, and later Minister of State for Family and Community Services. From 1997 to 2003 Her Honour delighted young children, parents and teachers by her Lieutenant Governor’s Story Hours, and by her children’s gallery at Old Government House. With the IODE and Les Dames d’Acadie, she succeeded in making Born to Read/Goût de lire a province-wide programme.

Established in 1998 by Dr. Marilyn Trenholme Counsell, former New Brunswick lieutenant-governor, senator, and past president of the Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick (LCNB), these awards recognize outstanding achievements in the fields of literacy and essential skills. They are supported by funds generated by the Literacy Coalition’s annual Peter Gzowski (PGI) Literacy Dinner and Auction.

The Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick is conducting a review of our monthly newsletter. Whether you read every edition or are reading your first issue now, we would like to hear your ideas on how we can improve our publication. Please take a few minutes of your time to take this short survey. All you have to do is click here. By participating, you could win a set of three of 11 exciting books. Thank you in advance for your participation. We truly appreciate it!