Youth in Adult Education

Family Literacy: Reading Again

by Jacqueline Gramann
TCALL Family Literacy Specialist

Young families value literacy by being connected and sharing life stories everyday. Family stories and family pictures are among the best strategies to use in family literacy programs. One picture book which brings this all together is Family Pictures, by Carmen Lomas Garza (1990, 2005), which features vignettes of Texas life. This book, as well as many other children’s picture books featuring family as a theme in the Family Literacy Storybook Corner, (HFRP, 2005), can be used in all components of family literacy programs. Young children and adults in literacy programs need to have their learning connected to real life situations. Learning should also be of value in their everyday lives. Becoming a literate family means valuing the activities of looking at and reading books as part of daily routines, for example, a bedtime ritual. Adults who read to children know that children request to hear the same stories over and over. Reading again helps children learn the emergent skills necessary for early language development and reading readiness. This is an overview of family and early childhood literacy today—or making it real, like The Velveteen Rabbit (Williams, 1922).

The perception of reading again echoes in the realization that young children thrive in a network of complementary learning supports. “Complementary learning” is a concept put forth by the Harvard Family Research Project to better illustrate the process in which children, birth to adolescence, learn today. The theory is about “improving learning outcomes without relying solely on school-based reform,” according to HFRP (2005). The point of view is that schools alone do not educate children. Rather, it is society providing many supports that ensures the achievement of all children. The supports encompass families; early childhood programs; schools; out-of-school time programs and activities; community institutions such as health, social services, and business; and higher education, with arrows connecting all supports into a web. Children who flourish must be connected to caring people who read again, with real interactions, with learning being valued.

Today, families are faced with the economic reality of balancing work and family. Families are struggling to raise children in a world that is eroding viable childhood experiences. Attacks come in the form of “violent media, junk foods, explicit sexuality, and consumerism” (Olfman, 2005, p.27). Family-school partnerships and early childhood education relationships are supports that are impacted positively through family literacy programs (Seaman, 2005). Out-of-school programs and health or social service agencies may also be used more effectively by informed parents. Family literacy programs allow parents to learn and observe appropriate interactive literacy activities. Parent involvement in children’s education is the leading predictor of school success (Epstein, 1987). For families lacking in supports, time, and financial resources, learning about why parent involvement is important and how to be involved are missed opportunities.

Recent research has changed how early literacy experiences are viewed. The National Early Literacy Panel (NCFL, 2005) conducted a synthesis of research to find out about environments and characteristics contributing to abilities in children, from birth to five years of age, which can be linked to later reading outcomes. Predictors identified resulting in later reading achievement included: exposure to environmental print; listening comprehension; expressive vocabulary; concepts about print; alphabet knowledge; invented spelling; name writing; phonological awareness; phonological short term memory; rapid naming—letters, digits, objects, colors; receptive vocabulary; verbal IQ; visual memory; and visual perception.

What are a few early literacy strategies a parent or caregiver can use, especially in the critical, first three years? The National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL, 2003) suggests the following for enriching reading experiences with infant and toddlers/twos:

• Sing lullabies and songs.
• Select board books so that the child can explore the cover and pages safely.
• Choose picture books that are clear, simple, and colorful with one or two pictures per page.
• Engage children physically in reading by clapping out rhymes as you tell a story.
• Read favorite books often. Repetition will create familiarity and associations, which help children’s language development.

A few of the reading ideas for preschoolers are:

• Choose picture books that relate to everyday events or real things.
• Try a variety of books that focus on concepts, like ABCs, counting, colors, and shapes.
• Expand a child’s world by reading folk tales and fairy tales from different countries.
• Look for stories that can be acted out, like “The Three Little Pigs.”
• Read stories with catchy, repeated phrases. Books with lots of rhyming words and nonsense words are great for this age. Remember to engage the child with questions; real interactions are significant to language development.

While infants and toddler/twos are typically tied more closely to family for early learning opportunities, the preschool experience is considered beneficial in accomplishing the predictors of reading achievement. There is a national effort to making universal preschool available for all families. The advocacy organization, PreK Now says, “children who learn the names and sounds of letters before entering kindergarten are 20 times more likely to read simple words by the end of kindergarten than are children who enter kindergarten not knowing the letters of the alphabet. Children who do not know their letters prior to kindergarten too often fail to catch up with their peers who do. Eighty-eight percent of children who are poor readers in first grade remain poor readers by the fourth grade. Children who are not at least modestly skilled readers by the end of third grade are unlikely to graduate from high school” (PreK Now, 2005).

Families who are looking for high quality preschool or child care for younger children often do not have criteria to assess what a program should look like. The National Association for the Education of Young Children has recently revised its voluntary national standards and accreditation criteria. As accreditation is voluntary, many child care programs are not accredited. Beyond state licensing for minimum standards, what are some of the characteristics to look for? NAEYC recommends that programs should: focus on children; have a qualified staff; build relationships with families; and be well-run. Other questions to ask include: do the children “interact with other children and adults” and have a curriculum with a “variety of activities appropriate for the children’s ages and needs.” Developmentally appropriate practice, a concept brought to the country’s attention by NAEYC, should permeate child care. Also, ask “about the child-to-teacher ratio, which helps determine how much individual attention your child will get.” “Program staff should work with families to meet their child’s needs. Ask how information and concerns are communicated between staff and families.” Is a learning community established? “Ask how long teachers and staff have been with the program. Teachers that stay in the program longer are more able to focus their attention on the children and establish bonds with them” (NAEYC, 2005).

Early childhood education is in the process of gaining the attention needed to make a difference. Families with a literacy awareness and early childhood education are two pillars contributing to the concept of complementary learning. Corporate sponsorships are stepping up and adding resources. Family literacy is defined by the complete four component program of early childhood education, interactive literacy activities, parenting, and adult education, the Kenan model used by Even Start programs. Family literacy in a bits and pieces approach is rising to the forefront of many child care and education programs as complementary learning will be realized. Reach Out and Read is another national program where a family literacy prescription is dispensed by voluntary pediatricians in small, but effective doses with a children’s book, beginning at the six-month well-baby check-up (Needlman, 2002). All factions are making steps to a more literate society. Still, it is easy to be distracted by flashy program packaging from the mass media, usually costing something or furthering the commercialism of childhood (Olfman, 2005). There are no short cuts. Children and adults are motivated and learn from real interactions, not technology. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no television for children before the age of two (AAP, 2004). Educators and young families should keep close to their hearts—connected, informed families are what makes a real difference, one-on-one relationships simply reading again.

American Academy of Pediatrics (2004). Television and the Family. Retrieved March 1, 2006 from http://www.aap.org/family/tv1.htm

Epstein, J. L. (1987). Toward a theory of family—school connections: Teacher practices and parent involvement. In K. Hurrelmann, F. X. Kaufmann, & F. Losel (Eds.), Social intervention: Potential and constraints (pp. 209-246). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Garza, Carmen Lomas (2005). Family Pictures/Cuadros De Familia. San Francisco, CA: Children’s Book Press. Available through the TCALL Clearinghouse Library, see the library section.

Harvard Family Research Project (2005). Complementary Learning. Retrieved March 1, 2006 from http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/
projects/complementary-learning.html

Harvard Family Research Project (2005). Family Involvement Storybook Corner. Retrieved March 1, 2006 from http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/fine
/resources/storybook/

NAEYC (2005). Early Years Are Learning Years: Helping young children start school. Retrieved March 1, 2006 from http://www.naeyc.org
/ece/2005/06.asp

NCFL (2003). Age-Appropriate Reading Tips At a Glance. Retrieved March 1, 2006 from http://www.famlit.org/Resources/ReadingTips
/ParentsGuide/Age_ Appropriate_Tips/index.cfm

NCFL (2005). National Early Literacy Panel: A Synthesis of Scientific Research on Young Children’s Early Literacy Development. Retrieved March 1, 2006 from http://www.famlit.org/ProgramsandInitiatives
/FamilyPartnershipinReading/index.cfm

Needlman, Robert, Klaus, Perri, Zuckerman, Barry (2002). Reach Out and Get Your Patients to Read. Retrieved March 1, 2006 from http://www.reachoutandread.org/downloads
/ContempPeds_Jan2002.pdf

Olfman, Sharna, Editor (2005). Childhood Lost: How American Culture Is Failing Our Kids. Westport, CT: Praeger.

PreK Now (2005). Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved March 1, 2006 from http://www.preknow.org/media/faq.cfm

Seaman, Don F., Yin-Chen, Chia (2005). Follow-Up Data on Parents in Even Start Programs in Texas, 2004 and 2005. Retrieved March 1, 2006 from http://www-tcall.tamu.edu/research/esfollowup.htm

Williams, Margery (1922). The Velveteen Rabbit. New York, NY: Dell.