Contact: Shannon Ozirny

West Vancouver Memorial Library serves a community with a high population of young people who speak multiple languages and are learning English. Over 25% of elementary school students in West Vancouver receive English Language Learning support and we notice even higher proportions in the programs we offer for younger children, including bilingual programs in French, Farsi and Mandarin. So much research happens behind the closed doors of academic institutions and the opportunity to partner with UBC, SFU, our local West Vancouver School District and others in the Lower Mainland of BC is a rare and invaluable opportunity. We are particularly excited about the possibilities of building a wider community of practice, of mobilizing on common challenges and gaps, and identifying further areas where work needs to be done to support young children and families in our community.