Betsy asked:

What does PACT look like when parents are not literate in their own language AND do not come from an industrialized society?  I am talking about families coming from a culture without many of the things we take for granted--eg turning a doorknob to open a door, using a stove, etc.   
 
We sure face some interesting situations in family literacy, don't we?  I once heard Mawi Asgedom speak (author of "of Beetles and Angels: A Boy's Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard"). As a child, he had been an Eritrean refugee who was airlifted from an African desert to the suburban United States.  He said that it was like going on a spaceship to another planet. Imagine.  This image has informed my treatment of that situation.
 
Kim Jacobs said that PACT is not necessarily about reading, it may simply be parent and child interaction.  And that is universal.
 
Take time to let this parent relax into the family literacy program, after all, they have so much else to deal with.  PACT can be letting a parent hold their child in their lap while they watch what others "do".  It can be about sharing a cup of juice. If possible, introduce them to another parent who has been in the same situation but has been here longer.  In this situation, we need to be thoughtful facilitators who allow the parent and the child to set the pace and content of the learning.

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