Haitian Creole, or Krey'ol, has a unique history because it is historically an oral language; however, significant efforts have been made to standardize its orthography and to promote its literacy base. It also comes from a diglossic society: Haitian Creole is spoken in familiar settings such as the home, while French is used in formal settings…

Family literacy programmes operate on the periphery of American education and often employ a deficit orientation toward minoritized families; still, parents view these programmes as language-learning resources. This ethnographic study explores the experiences of Latina mothers enrolled in a school-based family literacy programme in Nebraska to…

This paper describes the work of the Even Start Family Literacy Study Group, which met over the course of the 1998-99 school year. Based on the personal experiences of the group's facilitator, the paper presents thoughts about family literacy and the relationship between families, literacy, and programs. In an effort to support family literacy…

In view of the literacy skills needed to participate effectively in an increasing complex society, this report discusses the importance of reading and reading development in families, and the effort that Head Start puts into promoting family literacy. The report claims that parents' literacy level can have a strong influence on parent child…

This handbook is designed to assist in duplicating Project LIVE (Literacy Implements a Vibrant Existence), a family literacy project. Its purpose is to share some ideas and methods of teaching family literacy. It begins with a description of a typical day at the project. Recruitment, interviewing and testing, evaluations, and graduation are…

Prince George's County (Maryland) Memorial Library System received a grant to develop and implement a parenting-literacy project for the women in the County Correctional Center. The project's goal was to help the incarcerated female parent develop her own and her child's literacy skills. Eighty-eight women with children aged 5 and under or who…

A program was developed to demonstrate an effective delivery system for providing family-oriented literacy services to homeless parents of young children. By taking the program directly into four bridge or transitional housing sites in Greater Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Literacy Initiative of Goodwill Industries believed that the result would be an…

The Family Learning Project, a family literacy program, focused on providing Centre County, Pennsylvania, families with basic skills instruction within the context of family learning. Parents, working with specially trained family literacy tutors, received basic skills instruction tailored to their individual and family needs. Using the functional…

This guide is intended to help adult education programs establish family literacy programs and create Family Learning Centers in Cleveland Public Schools. The information should assist program coordinators in developing educational components that offer activities to raise the self-esteem of the parents and provide them with the knowledge and…

This document consists of materials developed and used by a project to research and design a prototype plan using the television program "Reading Rainbow" and the resources of the Western New York Public Broadcasting Association to cultivate family literacy. An executive summary presents findings from the six focus group discussions of…

Designed for administrators, educators, and people interested in children's learning, this book explores ways to reawaken parents' understanding of their role as their children's first teachers. The volume is divided into four major sections. Part 1, which provides a background and rationale for developing intergenerational programming in support…

Project PALS (Parenting and Literacy Skills) was designed as a model of holistic comprehensive family literacy for those families connected with a Head Start program. Forty-three of an anticipated 75 families were served. Adult students who were referred by Head Start personnel participated in classes in English as a Second Language, Adult Basic…

This report describes a family literacy program for adult students with mild learning challenges including mental retardation. The program's objective was to upgrade the reading skills of parents and introduce them to a wide variety of enjoyable children's literature. During each of 20 weekly sessions, a class of no more than 15 parents was…

This paper discusses: (1) the importance of building a comprehensive web of support for families in family literacy programs (such as Even Start) that communicate consistent values and messages essential for educational success; and (2) how integration of program components can be developed and strengthened. The paper is organized around four…

The Bethlehem Area Chamber of Commerce addressed family literacy through the promotion of a "Jump into Reading" videotape and its accompanying brochure in local businesses and schools as well as throughout Pennsylvania. Jump into Reading was designed to teach parents the importance of reading aloud to their children and offer techniques…