Family literacy means parents and their children learning together. Developing family literacy is one of our most important educational goals. When we attain family literacy, we help ensure the academic achievement of our children. We learned so much during COVID-19 school closures about what is needed to support families at home!

To start with, these three factors need to interact to attain family literacy goals:
1) the educational level of parents
2) parent involvement
3) the academic success of their children

Each area depends on the other two in order to achieve effective results. Improving family literacy means focusing on working with parents to teach them how to help their children learn. This is one way to improve the educational level of the parents while involving them in their children’s school. As parents begin to work with their children, they may begin to see an improvement in the achievement levels of their children.

The very essence of family literacy is to bring the parents and children together in the school setting. That’s why we aim to include the following four best practices in our approach to family literacy:

• Provide a set of stimulating interactive activities for parents and children
• Train parents in reading and English-language development so they can be active partners in their children’s learning
• Demonstrate to parents the strong connection between literacy and school success for their children
• Use culturally appropriate reading materials for children

These four core components are the basis of our best practices model that leads to success in family literacy. Best practices are those actions proven to lead to reliable results.

When The Latino Family Literacy Project presents its webinar training, it does so with the idea of having these best practices as the core components. We make the family the center of the work. From that center, we build concentric circles of knowledge and influences.

Everything flows from the home and then to parent involvement in the school, which includes language development, socioeconomic influences, and the community. The final outermost circle represents the world beyond school.

The post Proven Best Practices for Family Literacy appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

• Provide a set of stimulating interactive activities for parents and children.
• Train parents in reading and English-language development so they can be active partners in their children’s learning.
• Demonstrate to parents the strong connection between literacy and school success for their children.
• Use culturally appropriate reading materials for children and their families.

 
When The Latino Family Literacy Project presents its workshops it does so with the idea of having these four best practices or core components in our program. We do this by making the family the center of our work. From that center we then build concentric circles of knowledge and influences around the family unit.
 
We start with the innermost circle which is in the home and that includes establishing regular reading routines, developing English as a Second-Language, supporting the home language, and honoring the existing home culture.
 
The next circle extends to the best practices outside the home. In this second circle we include parent involvement in school, the acculturation process, language and skills development, socioeconomic influences, the community, and extended family members.
 
The third outermost circle represents the world at large and includes school goals, and the local school community.
 
The interactive nature of this set of influences and the use of the best practices model for family literacy are what makes The Latino Family Literacy Project an effective program that is being used in schools throughout the United States.
 
If you would like more information, please contact us toll-free at 877-LECTURA or call 626-799-4371 or visit our website.
 
Hoping to see you at a workshop!
 

The post Here are Four Proven Best Practices for Family Literacy appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

Research shows that parent involvement in their children’s education is one of the most important barometers for academic success and increasingly seen as an essential element of a school’s programming, and there is 30 years of support research.

The most important skill that a student can learn is how to read in English. Learning to read becomes the avenue to all other academic skills and successes. Becoming a reader is an easier process when parents are involved. This is especially true for English language learners whose parents are primarily Spanish speakers. In essence, the key to parent involvement for English language learners is to embed family reading in the educational process.

-Create an inclusive and welcoming environment. Parent involvement is an interactive process and is best accomplished by involving the parents in the learning process as much as possible. It’s best to start with informing Hispanic parents about the activities in the classroom and the events at school. Keep in mind that Hispanic parents may sometimes feel left out due to language differences.

-Two-way Communication. It’s good to listen and observe before reaching out. Get a sense of the Hispanic family home culture before communicating. Conveying a sense of respect and interest by listening to parents’ concerns, signals your sincere interest. Once you have a good sense of the home culture and the parents’ hopes and dreams for their children, then begin to communicate with parents every chance you can through bilingual and translated flyers, meetings (both formal and informal), using interpreters, and encouraging an atmosphere of excitement about learning. If the parents are excited about the learning process that enthusiasm will be transmitted to their children.

-Provide instruction and meaningful engagement. It will help to offer instruction, coaching and tips to parents about how they can be involved in their child’s learning process. For educators and teachers the goal is to support parents in their home. Providing meaningful material and coaching with effective strategies, and then discussing the importance of the home environment is crucial in this process.

–Make it a family experience. This method allows parents who speak Spanish to read the same books at the same time with their children who are learning English in school, and provides children the opportunity to practice reading to their parents in English.

Parent involvement and family reading go hand in hand and it only happens when the school is committed to real engagement with Hispanic parents and their children. It’s a two-way process and given the immense amount of research regarding the importance of parent involvement and the fundamental role of reading in education, reaching out to Hispanic families is a must to ensuring academic success for their children.

Still not sure? Contact our office for an information kit at info@Latinoliteracy.com

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