About

History

1991

Launch of the home reading program by members of the Sault-Saint-Louis School Board (Adult Education).

1998

"Learning with My Child" has been adopted as a supplementary program by the Marguerite-Bourgeoys School Board.

2004

Incorporated as a nonprofit organization by a committee of 53 citizens committed to ensuring the program’s survival, with a mission focused on literacy and student retention.

2011

Presentation of the JAME Program Evaluation Report by Fasal Kanouté, professor at the Faculty of Education at the University of Montreal.

2012

JAME is participating in an action research project in collaboration with Professor Françoise Armand of the Faculty of Education at the University of Montreal and four school boards in the Greater Montreal area.

2018

JAME has become an educational organization recognized by the Quebec Ministry of Education.

2022

JAME is celebrating its 30th anniversary! Celebrations are being held throughout the year. Thirty profiles of book-sharing partnerships are being created, chronicling the history of 30 partnerships that have gone “beyond reading.”

Our Mission and Approach

JAME’s literacy mediators play a vital role in fostering rich and stimulating environments that nurture children’s natural curiosity about language, while sensitively guiding them in their discoveries.

With this in mind, JAME’s literacy mediators:

maintain an appealing and diverse library;
create and lead various literacy activities based on children's books;
serve as liaisons between volunteers, the families they serve, and sometimes the school community, to facilitate communication and provide educational support as part of the home-based mentoring program.

Our expertise

Family literacy, particularly in multiethnic and multilingual contexts and/or in situations of social and economic vulnerability.

Our Initiatives

Partnerships, activities, workshops, training sessions, and educational resources for children, parents, and professionals.

Our Approach

JAME takes an ecosystemic approach, taking into account the child, their family, and the community in which they live.

For children

Foster a love of reading in children through a fun, interactive approach that is sensitive to cultural and linguistic diversity.

For the family

Empower and support parents to restore their confidence in their role as primary educators and help foster harmonious relationships with the community.

For the community

Train, support, and collaborate with community, institutional, and school stakeholders.

JAME is a member of the Regroupement des organismes communautaires de lutte au décrochage (ROCLD) and focuses on literacy development to strengthen protective factors against academic failure and marginalization.

Governance

Board of Directors 2025–2026

Madeleine Bérard

President

Nancy Chauvette

Treasurer

Catherine Gosselin-Lavoie

Secretary

Nadia Rilos-Faye

Vice President

Sophie Marquis

Director

Joanne Bazinet

Director

Our Team: 2025–2026 Team

Erica Maraillet

Chief Executive Officer and Data Protection Officer

erica.maraillet@jame-mtl.org
514-536-5263, ext. 3

Bérengère Ruet

Assistant Director

berengere.ruet@jame-mtl.org
514-536-5263, ext. 8

Marie-Christine Larouche

Literacy Facilitator
Lachine and Southwest Districts

marie-christine.larouche@jame-mtl.org
514-536-5263, ext. 2

Noémie Jaarsma

(On maternity leave)

Literacy Facilitator for the Lasalle and English-speaking Verdun communities

noemie.jaarsma@jame-mtl.org
514-536-5263, ext. 4

Marianne Quenneville-Dumont

Literacy Facilitator
Saint-Laurent and Sud-Ouest Districts

marianne.q-dumont@jame-mtl.org
514-536-5263, ext. 6

Eva Liscano

Literacy Coach
Verdun and Île-des-Sœurs area

eva.liscano@jame-mtl.org
514-536-5263, ext. 5

Marisa Salinas

Literacy Facilitator
Specializing in facilitation

marisa.salinas@jame-mtl.org
514-536-5263, ext. 7

Gabrielle Johnson-St-Pierre

Literacy Facilitator
: Lasalle and the English-speaking community of Verdun

gabrielle.johnson@jame-mtl.org
514-536-5263, ext. 4

Our volunteers

Every year, a little over a hundred men and women guide one, two, or even three children through the great adventure of learning to read and, more importantly, developing a love of books.

Meet some of these outstanding volunteers, who are the heart and soul of JAME.

Anne Tellier

Over the years, she has been paired with four families from Lasalle, playing the role of a Quebec grandmother and serving as a gateway to the host culture for these immigrant families.

Guyonn Auriau

A dedicated young woman, full of energy, and a professional ballerina with a heart of gold, Guyonn is like a beloved big sister to her young readers.

Diane Bérubé

With humor, love, and sometimes sadness, she recounts the ups and downs of this exchange, because in life, just as in books, things don’t always go smoothly. Modest as ever, Diane never fails to mention at every opportunity how privileged she feels to be part of this family.