Betsy gave us all a very specific outline of how one family literacy program integrated PACT into daily activities both on an informal basis when the parents first arrived, more formally later in the morning, and additionally special activities.

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I think she hit on some essential points such as explaining to the adults – from the beginning – why PACT existed. She said, “We explained that parent involvement was a key factor in their children's early learning and that is why we required it for our educational nursery. We emphasized that children learn through play….” If parents are to be full educational partners, family literacy projects must enable the adults to be the “key factors.” Parents who understand that PACT is one of the educational components of the program will participate.  Knowing that fact can help those parents who are concerned that “play time” is time away from their own learning.  Many of the parents in our programs never played when they were children.  That presents an additional challenge.  How do you handle that issue?

 

She also said, “If we wanted parents to sit at low tables or on the floor, we, as staff, needed to do it too!”  Family literacy practitioners implementing PACT have to be facilitators rather than authority figures.  As a facilitator, one models behavior and discusses options rather than taking the lead role. How else can we do this besides “sitting on the floor as they arrive? (That is a good place to start.)

 

Betsy also told us they used a PACT log where the parents recorded their activities.  Have any of you taken this type of activity further?  Do any of you request the parents’ opinion of the activity?  Or ask what they learned?

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: familyliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:familyliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Literacy Works - Betsy Rubin
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2006 10:03 AM
To: The Family Literacy Discussion List
Subject: [FamilyLiteracy 359] Re: Implementing Parent Child Activities


Hello, all. What an honor to have Cyndy Colletti as our discussion leader!


I think PACT activities are especially effective when they can be integrated into the routine of the family literacy program and when the activities are casual and easy to implement.  
 
In the late 1990s, I helped initiate a family literacy program at a social service agency on Chicago's South Side. The agency already offered adult literacy (ABE, GED) classes and tutoring and had a day care room for the children of students... so we had the advantage of having everyone under the same roof.
 
The nursery (as we called it in the early days) opened at 9 and adult classes began at 9:30.  When parents enrolled children in the nursery, they signed an agreement saying they would spend time with their sons and daughters before and after their own classes.  We explained that parent involvement was a key factor in their children's early learning and that is why we required it for our educational nursery. We emphasized that children learn through play, through looking at books, and by scribbling and drawing. We also mentioned there would be coffee and cocoa waiting for parents and nutritious snacks for the children if they were hungry.
 
When families arrived in the morning, they found an array of materials awaiting them.  At the table, there were puzzles, tabletop learning toys such as shape sorters, children's books, paper, crayons, and safety scissors.  On the floor, there were clean blankets with baby toys and board books.  One staff member would already be at the table, and another would be sitting on the floor on one of the blankets, ready to greet the parents as well as the chilcren.  If we wanted parents to sit at low tables or on the floor, we, as staff, needed to do it too!
 
Whenever possible we let parents and children decide what activity they wanted to do. No one was forced to sit on the floor or at the table. We encouraged parents to notice what activities the children most enjoyed doing, but parents could guide their children to the activities they, as adults, felt comfortable doing--so if a parent felt self-conscious playing with puppets, for example, he/she could share a book with a child or watch the child draw instead. Sometimes staff would model activities, especially for new parents.  We tried to make everything easy for parents to do with confidence--so no complicated craft projects or complex games.  We felt that parents would be more likely to replicate these simple activities in the home, anyway.
 
We allowed some casual visiting among parents and staff--necessary for building a sense of community and trust--but also gently encouraged parents to do at least one activity with their children. At the end of the activity, parents filled out individual PACT logs in which they recorded the date and the activity--eg Oct. 23 - read story, played with blocks together.  Staff helped both parents and children say goodbye as parents went off to their own classes.
 
Obviously, we wanted everyone to arrive right at 9 am, but not everyone did.  We were pleased if a new parent went from rushing in at the last second and dropping off his/her children, to arriving in time to complete at least one activity, such as sharing a story book.
 
At the end of morning classes, parents returned to the nursery and took part with their kids in simple grouptime PACT, including songs, fingerplays, shared stories, or sometimes a more involved activity, such as painting or playing with play dough. 
 
Once a month or so there would be "fancier" PACT activities, such as seasonal parties, joint art projects, or field trips.
 
The thinking was this:
 
Before-class activities, daily -- A friendly, pleasant way for parents and kids to start the day. Short, simple activities that could be easily replicated in the home. Part of the daily routine rather than an "extra" activity that parents had to take their children to. A chance for newly enrolled parents to observe staff and other parents taking part in these activities.
 
After-class activities, daily -- Lively, fun group activities that encouraged a sense of community and belonging among the families and staff.
 
Special activities, periodically -- The chance to engage with other families in a more exciting or lengthy activity.  Everyone loves a party or an outing.
 
Since this was an "under-one-roof" program, it was easy to implement.  Obviously, the same model would not work as easily for programs in which adults' and children's education are housed separately and whose schedules would not permit daily PACT.  However, I do think that it helps to make PACT simple and easy for parents to do, no matter how often or where the activities take place.  
 
As Gail Adams, Director of Employment and Education at the Howard Area Community Center, once said of successful PACT activities, "Keep it simple, keep it fun!"


Betsy Rubin
Family Literacy Specialist
Literacy Works
Chicago
www.litworks.org
 
 

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