Introduction

Ask a few people to do the following: Close your eyes and think back to your earliest childhood memory of reading or learning to read. Where were you and who were you with?

Oh, says one person, with my Granny on her back porch. Another says, My cousin Jake came to stay and we read on the top bunk until late at night.

Whenever we ask this question, an overwhelming number of people recall reading with a family member in a home setting. See if your own survey confirms that family members predominate in early reading memories. The cycle of learning begins—and attitudes toward reading are shaped—in the home. It's no surprise, then, that family literacy is interwoven with student reading achievement.

What is family literacy?¹

In broad terms, family literacy is using language in the home to get things done or share ideas and stories through talking, reading, and writing. Literacy is an essential part of everyday life and all families engage in literacy activities—making grocery lists, checking the bus schedule, reading stories together, e-mailing relatives—on a daily basis. Family literacy practices vary widely, reflecting the culture and values of individual families.

Family literacy programs are designed to intentionally support family literacy development. They may include the following:

• Adult education, such as adult literacy or English as a Second Language instruction
• Early childhood education and school readiness
• Family-child interactive literacy activities
• Family education and assistance (e.g., life skills, parenting, child development)

Together, these services help children and their families improve literacy and life skills and reach their full potential as learners.

1 The U.S. Department of Education defines family literacy as “services that are of sufficient intensity in terms of hours, and of sufficient duration, to make sustainable changes in a family and that integrate all of the following activities: (A) Interactive literacy activities between parents and their children; (B) training for parents regarding how to be the primary teacher for their children and full partners in the education of their children; (C) parent literacy training that leads to economic self-sufficiency; (D) an age-appropriate education to prepare children for success in school and life experiences.”

What is the role of national service in family literacy?