This article introduces a successful reading program, Family Connections, for incarcerated parents and their children. A comprehensive review of the literature supports the need to implement prison programs from an ecological perspective, in which the needs of inmates and their families are considered. More specifically, the benefits of directing…

Within a learning family, every member is a lifelong learner. A family literacy and learning approach is more likely to break the intergenerational cycle of low education and inadequate literacy skills, particularly among disadvantaged families and communities. The selection of case studies presented in this compilation show that for an…

School librarians are collaborators, making connections with community, school, technology, jobseekers, and individuals with language barriers. They have served as a resource of information to the community and students. As an elementary school librarian, the author has become more creative by seriously listening to school community members. What…

Community-based volunteer programs to support children's book reading have existed in Japan for the past 70 years or so. Recently, because of the national emphasis on providing child-rearing support for families with young children, more programs are being offered to encourage parent-child shared book reading starting when children are very young.…

While library programming for children is a staple in most public libraries, it is quite rare in the academic setting. In 2006 the education librarian at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire began offering literacy programs in a library that traditionally discouraged children and community members from using its resources. Successful programs…

Scottish Premier League (SPL) Reading Stars uses the motivational power of football to attract families who need support with literacy into a positive and friendly learning environment. It ran for the first time between March and August 2009 and attracted 225 children and 190 adults to take part in a series of inspirational learning sessions in 23…

Describes the Book Club of Reading Connection, a nonprofit organization in Virginia, that gives books to children in homeless shelters and for up to one year after they leave the shelter. The key to the book club's effectiveness and its longevity is communication between the Reading Connection and the families. (SLD)

A family education program based principally upon reading is outlined in this paper. Following a discussion of the program's background and of proposals for its expansion, the paper describes booklets used in a campaign designed to help parents understand their role in their children's education. The following section outlines new methods of book…

The Des Moines family learning project, begun in 1972, involves parents, young adults, and children in a program which shows parents effective methods of helping their children learn to read and which helps them discover solutions to many of the conflicts that occur in family situations. This booklet describes the program and explains the various…

Schools can reduce special-education and remedial instruction costs by helping students succeed in early grades. This article profiles several prevention and early intervention programs, including Success for All, Reading Recovery, Prevention of Learning Disabilities, the Carolina Abecedarian Project, Comer's School Development Program, and…

This ethnographic study describes the relationships involved in the Partnership for Family Reading, a collaborative project between Montclair State College and a low-income urban school district to promote parent involvement in children's literacy development. Participant observation and other ethnographic research methods were used to produce…

This manual is a guide from the Montana State Library for libraries interested in setting up a family reading program with a multicultural theme. The purpose of a family reading program is to encourage reading and foster an enjoyment of reading among children and families. This manual contains an introduction which gives planning information,…

Describes two initiatives of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to help children become life-long readers. The AFT/Chrysler Learning Connection Reading Grants program awards grants to schools for family involvement reading programs. The booklet "Helping Your Child Learn to Read" contains activities parents can use. Some booklet…

This manual reflects the experiences of participants in the Partnership for Family Reading a collaborative project between Montclair State College (New Jersey) and a group of Newark, New Jersey public schools, and is designed to serve as a guide to those who wish to start Family Reading Projects. In 1988, the Partnership for Family Reading began…