Parent-Child Mother Goose


Eastern Townships School Board - Richmond and Region CLC, QC

Development of early literacy skills are essential for the successful integration of children into Kindergarten. CLCs have long promoted early childhood development and one of the most effective programs available is Parent Child Mother Goose. It is a program for parents and their babies and/or young children that focuses on the “pleasure and power of using rhymes, songs, and stories together” (National PCMG Program). 

The Richmond Parent-Child Mother Goose Program was first implemented in 2014 as part of the eco-systemic approach to support pre-literacy taken by the local Table Concertation des Familles. In the second year of the program, partners recognized a need to train additional animators. This was an opportunity for the Richmond & Region CLC to organize a Certified Training opportunity for the community, thus eliminating the need to send people to Toronto for it. Through a grant from the Community Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN) obtained by Townshippers’ Association, the CLC made this training available to 17 teachers/ animators from 8 different communities and 9 different organizations. This resulted in at least 3 new Parent-Child Mother Goose programs being
created in the Estrie region.

This past Fall, the Richmond Parent-Child Mother Goose Program saw its registrations
double, from an average of 11 registrations per session to 24 families. In order to accommodate everyone, Townshippers’ Association supported the creation of a second group.

“This program is wonderful for parents from all walks of life and all ages and should
continue to exist!” Parent

The CLC collaborates with many partners to deliver this early literacy program to English-
speaking families in the Richmond area, including:

- Table de Concertation ValFamille
- Townshippers’ Association
- Literacy in Action
- Maison de la famille les Arbrisseaux
- National Parent-Child Mother Goose
- CIUSSS-Estrie RLS Richmond
- Richmond Pre-School

Over the 10-week program, parents are encouraged to share tips and advice with each other, thereby helping reduce isolation and facilitating the creation of peer-resource networks. The CLC Community Development Agent (CDA) also ensures that the animators have access to the Community Liaison Agent and health sector partners in order to share preventative health information as well as respond to potential needs.

The program supports both the acquisition of pre-literacy skills in the child as well as development of parenting skills. It helps “gives wings to parents”, to giving them the tools and confidence to take part in their child’s development and success. Workshops are structured to create and stimulate interaction between parent and child,
and animators teach parents how to communicate with their children through various play
strategies thus also stimulating language development.

“We use a lot of the material learned at the program at home. Rhymes like Tick-Tock helps
calm a grumpy baby!” Tammy Porter, Mom