[NIFL-FAMILY:1842] Why family literacy?

From: Janet Isserlis (Janet_Isserlis@Brown.edu)
Date: Mon May 17 2004 - 10:16:38 EDT


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From: Janet Isserlis <Janet_Isserlis@Brown.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-FAMILY:1842] Why family literacy?
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Dear all,

Apologies for joining into the conversation late (I was away last week).

In addition to the information from Meta (below), I'd also suggest 
that family literacy is part of a very broad understanding of 
literacy itself and its functions.  The EFF role maps touch on things 
that adults need to know in order to function in their multiple 
roles; as well, I  think of family - or intergenerational or even 
community -  literacy as a way of framing the ways in which younger 
and older people, in varying combinations, utilize literacies (in 
their broadest) sense.  So an intergenerational literacy program 
could include elders telling stories to young people, people 
interviewing neighbors of all ages to develop oral histories of their 
neighborhoods/communities, parents, caretakers, other adults reading 
to and with children,  literacy-infused work with small children 
(early childhood kinds of activities with an eye toward developing 
emerging literacy), etc. etc.  There are many variations and 
permutations -- some "pure" family literacy programs with four 
components, as well as other ways in which people of different ages 
come together to work with language and print.

In addition to NIFL's special collection of family literacy resources,
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/FamilyLit/index.html

I'd also like to share some that I've gathered at 
http://www.brown.edu/lrri/intergen.html

Janet Isserlis


>There are many other kinds of family literacy programs, some funded by
>private industry or corporations, some by local governments, etc. 
>Some are located
>in CBOs, some in Centers, some in schools.  Some of the most effective are the
>Family and Child Education Programs that are located on American Indian
>Lands. Many sources of funding, but most programs follow the premise that a
>comprehensive program consists of four components:
>     Adult Education
>     Early Childhood Education
>     Parent and Child Time Together, and
>     Parenting Education



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