Clare Adult Basic Education Service

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Clare Family Learning Project
QualiFLY Project Dublin 09,05,06
Janet Webb
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Co. Clare
Population 105,000 Agriculture Tourism Small
scale manufacturing Service industry
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History

• 1994 Adults on a literacy course wanted to be
  able to help there children with homework
• 1996 A Family Learning Centre was set up with
  short term funding. H model
• 2000 A Clare Family Learning Resource Pack for
  facilitators was published
• (this included training)

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The Project Today

• 1n 2005
• Coordinator, 6 part time tutors
• 26 courses
• 19 venues
• 300 participants

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Participants are socially disadvantaged parents

• Many have low literacy levels
• Travellers
• Non Nationals (Refugees, Asylum seekers, Migrant
  workers)
• Lone parents
• Rurally isolated
• Unemployed
• Whose children have special needs

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Programmes 2000 2005Parent only and parent
and child sessions

• Family learning 0-7
• Children learning 7-12
• Settling into Secondary
• Family maths
• Involving parents in specific classroom
  activities in primary schools
• Family Learning and play
• Story sacks

• ITC and family learning
• Culturally appropriate for Traveller groups and
  non-nationals
• Themed sessions cookery,crafts,
• horticulture
• Family learning and grandparents

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Courses run in collaboration with

• Adult Literacy Development Workers
• Agencies
• Youthcentre
• FAS Employment agency
• Traveller Training Centre
• Partnerships
• Social Services
• Primary Health Programme
• Family Resource Centres
• Community Development Programmes
• Schools

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Parents want to help their children to learn
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Parents participate in Family Learning
Recognise their home as a learning place
Recognise their role as a significant teacher to
their children
Gain a better understanding of how learning occurs
Greater interaction
Gain confidence
Improve own skills
Support childrens learning
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The Focus of the Programmes are on
Easily, Achievable, Practical Activities
Which encourage parents to recognise the home as
a learning place and build on their skills as
teachers
Through
Diversity of programmes
Positive learning environments
Trained facilitators
Fun
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Challenges

• No set or consistent funding
• Firmer government policy on family learning being
  of value in schools
• Lack of male participation
• Difficulty in evaluating
• Lack of research and documentation of work done
  in Ireland