"Tender Shoots" compared two book-reading and conversation approaches for parents and preschoolers to an activity-based control group. The "Rich Reading and Reminiscing" (RRR) condition taught parents to converse about the storyline; the "Strengthening Sound Sensitivity" (SSS) condition taught parents to converse…

There exists an abundance of literature on the use of wordless picturebooks in literacy development, yet very little research exists on their use in the South African context. South Africa is facing what researchers have referred to as a 'national crisis of reading'. Only 5 per cent of parents read with their children, as a result, many children…

Describes a program that will provide parents with some knowledge of emergent literacy development and with simple literacy activities in which both parents and children can participate at home to encourage the development of early reading and writing skills. (SG)

Examined the impact of a program in Quebec to improve parents' abilities to introduce their preschoolers to the written word. Found evidence for parents' progress and gains in skills. Concluded that the program has significant potential for parental skill development. (Author/KB)

Describes an Australian program, called Talk to a Literacy Learner, which involves parents more intimately in the literacy development of their children. Focuses on the strategies parents use to interact with their children as they read and write. Discusses program effectiveness. (SR)

Describes how one first-grade teacher developed and carried out a parental involvement program in which parents and children engaged in literate activities during the school day with emphasis on combining the strengths of home literacy with school. Notes the success of the program based on the deep caring of these parents (largely low-income and…

This document consists of the four issues of a newsletter published during 1996-1998. This newsletter provides a periodic update on the activities of the Early Childhood Research Working Group (ECRWG), organized in 1995 by the U.S. Department of Education and other federal government departments and agencies to promote interagency cooperation and…

Describes the Support at Home for Early Language and Literacies (SHELLS) project, an early literacy intervention for families of children between birth and age 3 in rural Australia. Findings from monitoring suggest that this collaborative, flexible model has the potential to assist families from a range of social, cultural, economic, and…

Using interviews and videotaped observations, this study examined family contributions to their 5-year-olds' literacy development in a 5-month family literacy program developed by their children's teachers. Results suggested that children's literacy can be developed through everyday family experiences and that the richest resource for literacy…

A Student Literacy Corps was established in 1991 at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The corps provides intervention for at-risk Head Start students in a program designed to enrich literacy skills. The Student Literacy Corps has two components: (1) a tutoring program in which college students tutor 4-year-old Head Start…

Describes how preschools and elementary schools can establish a Family Lending Library to make available to parents books on the reading process, literacy, and child development, as well as books they can read to their children. The library can also contain videotapes, toys, and a variety of materials that address the uniqueness of each family.…

The Daycare Book-a-thon is a project that targets at-risk preschoolers, providing books donated from preservice teachers in a children's literature course along with bookmarks highlighting ways parents can read and extend the books with their children at home. Through this activity, preservice teachers come to understand the diverse student…

The influence of informal literacy learning during the preschool years was studied. Preschool teachers in 4 low-income areas read to their classes regularly in an effort to make students enthusiastic about reading. Teachers were also asked to visit families in particular need of help. Three books were sent home with each child twice a week, and…

Describes a project undertaken by the Queensland University of Technology (Brisbane, Australia) to develop a booklet on the importance of reading to young children and distribute it to all mothers in maternity hospitals in Queensland. Discusses the conceptualization of the booklet, fund-raising tasks, and distribution. Reports on further…

The potential benefits of father participation in their children's reading and writing activities include improved literacy skills, increased bonding, and heightened self-esteem of both fathers and children. This paper identifies a training model for working with fathers--Project DADS. Using this model, early childhood professionals can foster…