Foundational learners may come to your CALP to develop basic skills in one of these Literacy and Foundational Learning categories:

• Adult Literacy 
• Numeracy
• Skills for Learning
• Basic Digital Skills 
• English Language Learning 

The CALP Guidelines outline these five categories in the Required Programming area of Literacy and Foundational Learning: “Funded organizations must provide learning opportunities in the Required Programming area.” 

A program that is offered as a learning opportunity in one of the Literacy and Foundational Learning categories must include opportunities for adult learners to acquire specific foundational skills that they need in their everyday life. These opportunities are explicit and intentional.

For example, a program focused on reading comprehension as its primary intended learning objective could incorporate several different reading strategies over the course of a 12-week session. As a participant, Cal P. might have watched the facilitator demonstrate the strategy during the first week(s), moved on to using the strategy with the group and then practiced the strategy independently at home. Once the facilitator felt that Cal P. was confidently using the strategy in everyday life, they could then introduce another strategy.