Return-Path: <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id fBCGK6015222; Wed, 12 Dec 2001 11:20:06 -0500 (EST) Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2001 11:20:06 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <01C182F6.AC54F860.eness@leh.org> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Dana Eness <eness@leh.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-FAMILY:513] Re: Barriers to Family Literacy X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Internet E-mail/MAPI - 8.0.0.4211 Status: O Content-Length: 3011 Lines: 62 Kathleen, Like the program you describe, I work with a 2 hour per week, 6 to 8 week program held in libraries, schools and other public venues. Our program is a lovely PACT adjunct to whatever more intensive literacy efforts are going on in the community (for example, our families are recruited from Head Start, ABE and ESL programs), and is held in the evenings or Saturday mornings. It is designed to help families bond around the act of reading, and to change attitudes and behaviors towards reading in non-readers or folks at the beginning-level stages of literacy. It's interesting to see not only the thirst for family literacy programs on this list, but also the thirst for FAMILIES for time to spend together talking about meaningful issues as presented in award-winning children's literature in a nurturing environment. Through my involvement with this program, I realize that PACT time is really critical to the mental health of our nation's families regardless of their literacy levels. I think, Kathleen, that the impact comes despite the dilution of contact hours with programs such as these, because when done right, families leave after those 2 hours with so much food for thought that the reading and discussion among the family members continues through the week until the next meeting. Dana ********************************** Dana Eness, Assistant Director PRIME TIME FAMILY READING TIME Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Louisiana Humanities Center/Turners' Hall 938 Lafayette Street, Suite 300 New Orleans, LA 70113 http://www.leh.org Tel. 504-523-4352 Ext. 126 1-800-909-7990 Fax 504-529-2358 E-mail: eness@leh.org -----Original Message----- From: KathleenBombach@aol.com [SMTP:KathleenBombach@aol.com] Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2001 3:37 PM To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: [NIFL-FAMILY:503] Re: Barriers to Family Literacy A major barrier to participation is the need for employment and money. We usually do not identify employment as a barrier because employed parents generally opt out from the beginning and are not on our radar. But their families can receive the same benefits from family literacy--has anyone designed a program where the only (single parent) or both (two parent) parent(s) are employed? It goes against the construct of family literacy programs, where intensity and duration are important predictors of impact and so are built in from the beginning. I once developed an elementary school reading program that had far more impact than I ever imagined it would have. Our intent was to provide at four to eight hours of programming a week after school for children who were not reading (grades 2-6). Because so many parents signed their children up, it was reduced to two hours a week and included children from pre-school to 6th grade. I did not think that it would have much impact with that amount of dilution, but it surpassed what I anticipated from the 4-8 hour model. Kathleen Bombach
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