PURPOSE: To enhance a family approach to reading and create a reading environment center in each home.

FBISD
The Latino Family Literacy Project provides family reading routines for Spanish- and English-speaking parents and their children. The Project introduces the VISTA Method, a language acquisition method and a step-by-step literacy instruction process. It involves family reading, vocabulary development, and English-language development for Latino parents and their children. Each age specific programs engages the parents in reading with their children, reflect the experiences of Latino families, and is centered around universal themes.

Linwood E. Howe Elementary School
The Latino Family Literacy Project is a parent involvement and literacy program designed to establish and nurture family reading routines for bilingual families.  The age-specific program engages parents in reading with their children, reflects the experiences of the Latino culture, and is anchored around universal themes.  The program has an evaluation process to measure the benefits of what is being learned in class and includes homes activities that parents share with their children which are supported by the state standards for each grade group. Mrs. Claudia Benitez, our English Language Development Specialist has been meeting with parents on Wednesdays during January, February and March with the program culminating on March 24. We are proud to offer this program to our Linwood Howe parents.

Newport Mesa USD
The Latino Family Literacy Project is a reading program of the Lectura group of literacy services. Lectura Inc. is an educational publishing organization providing a wide range of educational programs including books, workshops and seminars expressly designed to establish a family reading routine for Latino parents and their children. The preschool program uses age-appropriate books for preschool age kids. Parents learn to read with their children, pose questions and teach school readiness skills to their children. Together parents and kids learn English vocabulary and simple English language grammar. The Latino Family Literacy Project is offered at most of our preschool sites.  We have incorporated books that depict a wide variety of cultures to represent the children and families at our preschools. Parents who participate in this wonderful parenting series will gain additional strategies to use at home with their children to foster reading and writing, build their home libraries with engaging books, and create a "family scrapbook" to use to promote literacy activities with their children based around family experiences.

Orangethorpe Elementary School, Fullerton School District
Latino Family Literacy Class Graduates 13
On December 10, 2008, thirteen parents successfully completed a 10 week course on family literacy. The graduates were taught by Mrs. Lopez and Ms. Lujon. During the course, the parents were exposed to a wide variety of books they can read to their children, and how to foster in them an interest in reading. They also created a family album which was shared at the graduation ceremony and luncheon. This is an annual class and we encourage all parents to participate.

Thomas Jefferson Elementary School
Partnership School Award Winners - 2009
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School
Bellflower, CA

Meet the Challenge to Involve More Families: Latino Family Literacy Project
From the start, the Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School faced a significant challenge.  It wanted to encourage families of English Language Learning students—who make up about a quarter of the student population—to participate more frequently in school activities at school and at home.  The ATP instituted a number of practices to reach out to these parents, even as it worked to welcome all families in the school.  One activity, the Latino Family Literacy Project, offers literacy classes for Spanish- and English- speaking parents, encourages a family reading routine, and works to improve students’ English and Spanish literacy skills.

The district’s Department of State and Federal Programs provided funding for training and materials for the project.  The school’s family liaison—also a member of the school’s ATP— guided the practice and established a curriculum with lessons from the Project teacher’s manual and some of her own unique lessons.  The school principal designated a room for a Family Center for classes and activities for parents and for storing materials.  An ATP member provided translations at the class sessions.  Teachers and other documents assessed this program noting more parents volunteering and taking classes on campus.  In a targeted evaluation, the ATP found that the children of parents who participated in the Literacy Project performed consistently better over two years on the California English Language Development Test. 

Ramona Elementary
Moreno Valley USD
Latino Family Literacy Elementary School Program is a program for parents to establish a daily family reading routine with their children while providing English Language Development.  It promotes parent involvement with their child's schooling.  The select books are for early readers ages five to ten.

Lamont Elementary School, Lamont School District
On March 17, 2004, parents in the Latino Family Literacy Project met for the first time. The program called Family Stories/Cuentos Familiares is a bilingual reading development program designed to improve parent involvement by helping parents share high interest books with their children at home. In this program, parents enjoy meeting together once each week to preview a new story book that they take home and read with their children. This ten week program has the following goals:

1. Establish and support a family reading routine
2. Improve Spanish and English language skills
3. Strengthen parent and child interaction
4. Encourage critical reflection, dialogue, and integrated writing projects 

 A program highlight is the creation of a Family Book by participants. During the final session, willing parents may share their Family Book with everyone. Of course, they will share their book with family members at home for years to come.   

Godley ISD
Godley Elementary recently hosted an 8 week Latino Family Literacy Project. Families of our English Language Learners were invited to come and participate in a program designed to enhance literacy and language skills of Latino children. The program included bilingual children's books that reflected the lives and issues of Latino families. The group met once a week for 8 weeks during which they reflected on the children's books through reading, dialogue, writing, and art projects.  Instructors for the program were Cindy Travioli, ESL Director, and Hortencia Garcia, ESL Aide and translator. Babysitting was provided by the High School PALS program and Polly Lindsey. The program concluded with a fiesta. A new session is planned for this fall.