The Society for Quality Education (SQE), self-described as “a charitable organization dedicated to the significant improvement of student learning in Canada,” offers a free remedial reading resource, to be used by parents and teachers with their children and students. The program, Stairway to Reading (or sign up to help SQE assess program effectiveness), is a free download for anybody who wants it, but of course costs SQE money to sustain the website, etc.
And that’s where the Aviva Community Fund comes in. The $500,000 fund aims to support positive change in our communities across Canada and works by having people submit ideas to support lasting change in their community. Then, people vote on these ideas, in a sort of round-robin affair. There are three preliminary rounds, out of which the top 20 vote-getting ideas advance to the semi-finals.
SQE has submitted Stairway to Reading as an idea in the Aviva Community Fund, which means that if it garners enough support – votes – the reading program may find itself with up to $50,000 to sustain the website and “provide ongoing support and training for parents and teachers both online and by live telephone support.” The Aviva page has a forum to discuss the idea and, of course, to vote.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the program or this idea in the comments.
[...] blog post: Aviva Community Fund and Stairway To Reading http://www.ourkids.net/blog/?p=1493 [...]