Breaking the continuing cycle of low literacy levels transmitted from one generation to another is the philosophy behind family and intergenerational literacy programs. This Practice Brief describes some of the family literacy program models that are proving effective. It also summarizes strategies and resources that can help practitioners. The…

A discussion of literacy in bilingual and multilingual communities, particularly those with heavy concentrations of limited-English-proficient individuals, focuses on the role of the family in literacy education efforts. First, the diversity of such communities is examined, noting that linguistic/cultural, educational, rural/urban, and religious…

A traditional part of American education has been to include the families in the educational process of their children. The needs and complexities of today's families and classrooms have never been greater. Programs and activities used with families, and school interactions 10 to 15 years ago are not effective for today's complex families and…

This fact sheet begins with an overview of family support programs, which includes a discussion of the premises of family support programs and the assumptions on which they are based, and a list of typical program components. The remainder of the fact sheet focuses on one type of family support program, family literacy programs. These programs…

Teachers' and developers' descriptions of intergenerational literacy programs for immigrants are collected here. Topics addressed include appropriate program design, the quality of intergenerational collaboration, student journals, learner-centered curriculum design, traditional and personal storytelling as a literacy approach, education and…

A Massachusetts family literacy project, the Northampton Family Literacy Project, is described, in which adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners enrolled in a community educational center in order to learn English as their children enrolled in a child care program at the local library. Both groups were involved in language activities,…

An intergenerational literacy program designed to help adults learn to read to their children or grandchildren, called PACT (Parent and Child Together), was conducted by the Scotland County (North Carolina) Memorial Library. The project trained two tutors in the storybook method of teaching reading and also gave the essentials of the method to two…

The Kenan Trust Family Literacy Project was implemented during the 1988-89 school year at three model sites in Louisville, Kentucky, and four in North Carolina. The model was designed to teach undereducated parents together with their 3- or 4-year-old children. Children participated in a comprehensive preschool program while adults studied in…

A study examined the influence of an intergenerational approach on the literacy development of parents and on the practice of family literacy at home. During a 3-year period, 367 families enrolled in multilingual, multiability literacy classes for at least one instructional cycle. The adult basic education classes were held in a community center…

This guide is designed to help facilitators tailor the Reach and Teach program to their clients' individual needs. Reach and Teach is a family literacy project designed to improve the parenting and basic skills of clients of family agencies in Pinellas County, Florida. The program emphasizes enhancing the parent's role as the child's nurturer and…

In the most general sense, family literacy is any intergenerational program that focuses on family reading. One of the important goals is to break the cycle of illiteracy, and another is to promote reading and encourage families to enrich their lives through the shared experience of reading. The Utah State Library has offered literacy grants with…

This report contains a list of 5 contacts, 12 research reports and studies, 4 publications in program planning and administration, and 16 curriculum materials in the field of family literacy. Each listing includes addresses and telephone numbers, prices if applicable, and a brief description of the resource or materials. The materials listed…

The first phase of Book Bridges, an English-as-a-Second Language literacy project for immigrant women and their children, was evaluated. Fifteen clients completed the first 10-week, 60-hour program designed to increase English vocabularies, give clients opportunities to express ideas in English, and provide a framework for facilitating…

The West Marin Literacy Project, a project of the Marin County Free Library (San Rafael, California), involved recruitment, retention, coalition building, public awareness, training, rural oriented, tutoring, computer- assisted, intergenerational/family, and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. The project served a community of under…

This paper reports on a study of primary-grade students (N=79) and their parents in an attempt to identify opportunities for enhancing the collaborative interaction between home and school when designing quality learning environments. In particular, the study looked at the children's print concept development, reading attitudes, and family…