A Parent Program: The Influences of Home Literacy Experiences that Influence the Reading and Writing Development of Five and Six year old Children

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a parent program designed to encourage literacy activities at home. Thirteen volunteer parents received information about literacy and learned how to implement strategies that engage their children in reading and writing activities during eight weekly workshop sessions. The effects of this program were determined by both pre and posttest differences in the children\u27s reading and writing behavior and by comparison with a control group of children. An analysis of variance was used to compare the groups in terms of the mean scores. Parental attitudes toward literacy behaviors were documented by a pre and post-program survey of participating parents. Results suggest when parents are taught how to interact with their children in authentic literacy activities at home, the children\u27s growth in reading and writing can be enhanced. Finally, parents who participated in the parent program now see their role as a literacy model for their children as extremely important