A program that helps immigrant families in B.C. is in threat of being eliminated after suffering a $450,000 hit from a recent round of budget cuts handed down by the federal government.
Decoda Literacy Solutions provides a variety of literacy programs throughout B.C., one of which is its Immigrant Parents as Literacy Supporters (IPALS) program which assists new immigrant families in Abbotsford and many other communities throughout the province.
When coming from largely non-English speaking countries, immigrant families can often find it difficult to help their young children assimilate into their new communities, so the IPALS initiative provides a way for these newcomers to effectively help support their preschool and kindergarten-aged kids.
Jasdip Jhajj, IPALS facilitator for the Abbotsford School District, explained that IPALS improves the literacy knowledge of children entering school using various methods. This better prepares them to succeed in both the academic and social aspects of their lives.
"This program is a great way for parents to learn how they can help their children become kindergarten-ready," Jhajj said.
"This program provides tools and books to families that may not have access to supplies that help their children’s learning and growth. Parents are able to see if their children are meeting the milestones and stages that a typical should be meeting. This way the parent can get support for their child early on before they start kindergarten."
No one knows the advantages of this program more than Abbotsford parents like Abeer Gakhar and Sandeep Toor, who both participated in IPALS and saw the benefits it delivered to their respective families.
"It is very important to support programs like IPALS because they help parents understand new ways of learning," Gakhar said.
"More families need this program," Toor added. "The children learn a lot. IPALS teaches children about school and families learn a lot."
Despite so many people benefitting from IPALS, the Decoda Literacy Solutions initiative is now on the chopping block due to one of the most recent batches of Canadian government cutbacks that eliminated the future funding of the program.
The federal government justified these cuts by explaining that the number of immigrants coming to and remaining in Canada will significantly decline in the next couple of years.
According to the government's plan, the number of immigrants who become permanent residents will decline from 500,000 to 395,000 in 2025, followed by a drop to 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027.
The temporary immigrant levels are also projected to decrease across the country, resulting in 445,901 fewer individuals in 2025 and 445,662 fewer in 2026 before having a small 17,439 bump in 2027.
In an attempt to help assist these newcomers, Decoda Literacy Solutions is pleading for the public's help in saving its IPALS program and other initiatives.
Decoda Literacy Solutions executive director Sandra Lee explained that through IPALS, more than 4,500 new immigrant families in B.C. have been helped in the past 10 years.
"We are asking literacy supporters across the province to help us save the IPALS program by making a donation, writing to elected officials, and helping us raise
awareness of what’s at stake," Lee said.
In coordination with Family Literacy Week, which runs from Jan. 26 to Feb. 2, Decoda Literacy Solutions is officially launching its campaign to raise the $450,000 needed to continue offering IPALS in Abbotsford and the other 18 B.C. communities it operates in.
Those looking to support the program or learn more about IPALS can visit decoda.ca/saveipals.
