For some schoolchildren, it is not always easy to learn to read or write. Especially for those who live in families unable to give them any practical support. Never mind, solutions are available. Thus during the 2009-2010 school year, about 11 000 primary school children should enjoy the support of Association pour Favoriser l'Égalité des Chances à l'École (Apféé). That makes 2000 more than in 2008-2009, evidence of the mobilization of all to combat this scourge: school failure due to illiteracy. Apféé therefore offers interested cities, the installation of a "Coup de Pouce Clé" club and the training of local personnel. The system, led by the ICP (Coup de Pouce Engineers), accompanies children and parents. Since groups of five children are a maximum for the educational method to be effective, Apféé is training more than 1 200 new staff this year to cope with demand: school teachers, group leaders, coordinators, monitors.
Offering a "Coup de Pouce Clé" helping hand to primary school children to help them cope better with the difficulties of learning to read and write
Since learning to read and write properly has a vital impact on the development of young children and on their success, Apféé offers more than 250 towns its support via "Coup de Pouce Clé" clubs. A formula that's so successful that the association has hired six persons and is preparing to rejuvenate its IT capability.
More ICPs ... and an aging IT capability to be replaced
After 30 years of activity, Apféé is fully capable of managing its personnel and equipment. And faced with the steady growth of the families and communes applying in recent months, it has hired six new ICPs (Coupe de Pouce Clé Engineers) who, in turn, will train hundreds of persons and school teachers. But these priority hirings are a tremendous drag on Apféé's budget. In fact, the IT and telephone capability, indispensible for training and supervising the staff, has to be replaced in 19 branches of the association, in continental France and on Réunion Island.
The Veolia Environnement Foundation is participating in purchasing this equipment. Because brand new materials are necessary to prepare for the future: Apféé's target is to accompany 60 000 children as of 2012!
