Bilingual children demonstrate varying levels of proficiency in each of the two languages to which they are exposed. Even though it is widely acknowledged that bilingual children are not a homogenous group, existing studies on dual-language profiles in bilingual children have focused on expressive language profiles. In this study, we used the…

Latino families face several challenges when they immigrate to the United States. School-based early childhood programs involving families with a holistic approach indicate effectiveness toward integrating both children and families into the school community. This paper explores, through informal conversations with administrators, teachers, and…

Sister R., the first author, is a Dominican Sister of Peace. Until recently, Sister R. had been the director of the Maya Ministry Family Literacy Program, working with the Maya Community in Lake Worth, Palm Beach County, Florida. She described her work with these indigenous, preliterate, hardworking peoples as "a university of the poor"…

Educators in the field of "family literacy" have identified multiple approaches to family literacy programs (FLPs), and have underscored the need to identify and make explicit the philosophical orientations of their own programs. This was the task undertaken in this article, which focused on a FLP in south Florida that served the needs…

The purpose of this working paper is to review current literature on literacy programs for parents of English language learners (ELLs). The paper includes a summary of five literacy programs for ELL parents throughout the United States of America. Four of these were system-wide interventions affecting more than one school or classroom. Each…

Describes how integrating services in an Even Start program in Gainesville, Florida, facilitated family literacy. Highlights specific examples from the experience that changed parents' lives. Participants gradually developed political awareness via improved self-esteem, self-confidence, assertiveness, involvement, and self-governance (in a…

Describes the Even Start Family Literacy Program in Immokalee, Florida, which has helped parents gain language skills, find community connections and services, and learn parenting and job skills, while also providing their children with positive educational experiences. Includes case studies of four families, as well as listing program…

As part of the second phase of a collaboration project between the Florida Head Start Association and agencies and programs in the state serving young children and their families with the purpose of enhancing school readiness programs, this document compiles the resource papers that were created based on regional meetings of partners in the…

A project was designed to increase reading skills of a target group of kindergarten through second-grade students in a primary continuous progress (CP) house in central Florida. The original target group included 15 kindergarten students, 34 first graders, and 54 second graders. Strategies included 4 parent language arts inservices, developing…

The improvement of reading comprehension skills in a target group of at-risk students in the second grade of a North Florida school was achieved through the implementation strategies of parental involvement and collaborative learning. At-home parent-child literacy interactions increased and parents became active role models in a Parent as Readers…

This overview of intergenerational and family literacy programs in the United States consists of five sections, a bibliography, and four appendices. Section 1 presents background information and expectations for programs and describes the target populations and program designs and administration. Section 2 describes the research base and the…

Family literacy programs reflect a recent trend in educational reform that has proven to be a successful educational model for all members of the family unit. Based on the literature that links family involvement to student achievement, these initiatives focus on empowering parents of school children. These programs have been particularly…

Library and health care professionals team up in the Born to Read partnerships in Florida to empower at-risk expectant and new parents to take an active role in the health and education of their children. Designed for Born to Read workshop participants, this manual contains the following sections: (1) General Information, including workshop…

The National Reading Conference (NRC) Yearbook represents an archive of conference reports that have undergone the rigorous review that research demands, as well as an indicator of topics, ideas and concerns that occupied participants during the annual conference. With this 52nd volume of the Yearbook, the editors hope the reader finds a broad…