A qualitative study of Bookstart, which gave free children's books and support to British inner-city families, collected data from librarians, health visitors, and nursery school staff. Bookstart increased positive attitudes toward and interest in books. Health visitors' support was crucial in helping parents use the books to support children's…

Describes the "Message Board" activity in a preschool classroom (a voluntary sharing of important events or messages on large or student-sized chalkboards). Describes its three stages of learning; how to do it; social interaction; language development; and how it guides emergent literacy and is part of a developmental process. (SR)

Living in an age of communication, literacy is an extremely integral part of our society. We are impacted by literature during our infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. "Literacy for the New Millennium" includes information from specialists in the field who discuss the influence of popular culture, media, and technology on…

This paper reports on a study that examined both the concurrent and longitudinal connections between multiple components of the home environment and indicators of preschool-aged children's literacy and language development. Data were collected from 85 parents and their children at two different times. Results of structural path models indicated…

Provides percentages of children ages 3 to 5 who were read to, told a story, or taken to the library by a parent or other family member. (Author/SLD)

Observes and interviews three families in a public library over an 18-month period. Notes that the traditional link of parents reading to children was not present, yet other caring, personal, and powerful links to literacy were. Argues that awareness of diverse family experiences linking love to literacy provides platforms upon which educators can…

Evaluation of an early literacy initiative in which free books and literacy information were given to 40 caregivers of infants. Compared book-related activity in the home before and 2 months after the program. Results showed significant increases in book ownership and frequency of mothers and babies looking at children's books together. (SK)

This issue of "Focus On" provides an overview of several key early literacy components: phonemic awareness, alphabet knowledge, concepts of print, oral language development, writing, family literacy, and reading aloud. Suggestions for assessing early literacy development are provided, and examples of implementation of effective early literacy…

A collaborative approach to program evaluation combined with the use of a variety of evaluation methods using currently available technology can yield valuable information about the effectiveness of family literacy programs. Such an approach was used for McCosh Even Start, a federally-funded family literacy program located at McCosh School in an…

Notes that literacy practices of caregivers are the building blocks for establishing a home environment conducive to emergent literacy. Recommends practices to incorporate into family-telling experiences and suggests published stories that promote diversity and literacy. (HTH)

New perspectives on childhood learning are beginning to change the way we view the development of early literacy, which is progressively conceptualized as embedded in social practice. The recognition of the powerful influence of out-of-school learning prompts questions about ways of linking home and school practices. This article reports a…

This paper deals with the relation between children's home literacy environments (HLE) and their literacy development in the first phase of primary school. On the basis of a broad conceptualisation of the HLE, we identified three home literacy profiles (rich, child-directed and poor HLE). Firstly, we related these profiles to socio-cultural…

Successful, Culturally Enriched, and Linguistically Sensitive family literacy programs incorporate families' life experiences, ways of knowing, educational needs and resources, and goals. Alma Flor Ada (2003) reminds us that "students live in two worlds: home and school. If these two worlds do not recognize, understand, and respect each other,…

Families are children's first educators and play a critical role in young children's literacy development. Young children's success as readers is related to their early literacy experiences in the home. Family literacy practices determine young children's literacy skills prior to formal instruction. However, families may not be aware of best…

Presents results of a study of the home literacy experiences of three Dominican preschool children in New York City and examines the implications for educational practice. Data suggest that children found print materials an interesting part of their world, and that they engaged in literacy play and also explored literacy while watching television…