Family Literacy Initiatives

A literacy promotion study, conducted in 1996-97 in a primary care setting with a multicultural group of low-income families found:

• 78% of intervention parents read to their child three or more times a week, compared to 46% of the control group.
• 61% of the children in the intervention families had more than ten books, compared to 45% in the control group.
• Intervention parents read to their child at bedtime 3.4 nights a week, compared to 2.1 nights by the control group.
• Intervention parents read to their child 4.3 days a week, compared to 2.8 days by the control group.
  (High, p931)

A literacy promotion study, conducted in 1996 in a primary care setting with low-income Hispanic parents of healthy 5-11 month old infants found:

• The odds of parents reading to their child three or more days a week were 10 times greater in the intervention families than the control families.
• Parents in the intervention were six times more likely than were control parents to report that one of their three most favorite activities with their child was reading books.
  (Golova, p996)
• 52% of intervention parents reported having at least five children's books at home compared with 19% of the parents in the control group.
  (Golova, p995)

From the National Evaluation of The Even Start Family Literacy Program conducted in 1996-97:

Enrolled family statistics:
• 45% were two-parent families;
• 37% were single-parent families; and
• 16% were extended families.
  (Tao, p35, Exhibit 3.5)
• 43% relied primarily on government assistance for income;
• 49% on wages from a job; and
• 8% on alimony or other source of income.
  (Tao, p38, Exhibit 3.7)
• 2% had no schooling;
• 13% had completed grades 1-6;
• 30% had completed grades 7-9;
• 42% had completed grades 10-12;
• 9% had a high school diploma/GED; and
• 5% had some college education/degree.
  (Tao, p41, Exhibit 3.11)


Reasons for participating in study:
• 56% for the adult education component;
• 19% for early childhood education,
• 14% for parenting education, and
• 11% for parent self-improvement.
  (Tao, p56, Exhibit 3.21)


Even Start project sites offered these numbers of hours of instructions per year per participant:
Adult and parenting education:
• 390 hours in beginning ABE,
• 412 hours in intermediate ABE,
• 430 hours in ASE/GED preparation,
• 335 hours in ESL, and
• 196 hours in parenting education.
  (Tao, p82, Exhibit 5.4)


Early childhood education:
• 588 hours at ages 6 and 7,
• 553 hours at age 5,
• 554 hours at ages 3 and 4, and
• 406 hours under age 3.
  (Tao, p83, Exhibit 5.5)


43-55% of Even Start programs reported having used or incorporated into their programs aspects of the following programs:
• Kenan Family Literacy Approach,
• High/Scope Curriculum,
• Parents as Teachers (PAT), and
• The Head Start program.
10-22% of the projects used other methods, including:
• Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP/PECES),
• Bowdoin Method, Parents as Partners in Reading, Parent and Child Education (PACE),
• Portage Home Teaching, and
• Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) Curriculum.
  (Tao, p89)


The following percentages explain the distribution of training and services at Even Start project sites:
Life skills:
• 68% in the beginning adult education programs;
• 75% in the intermediate programs;
• 73% in the secondary/GED programs; and
• 55% in the ESL programs.
Parenting training:
• 65% in the beginning adult education programs;
• 75% in the intermediate programs;
• 74% in the secondary/GED programs; and
• 49% in the ESL programs.
Vocational training:
• 40% in the beginning adult education programs;
• 58% in the intermediate programs;
• 69% in the secondary/GED programs; and
• 39% in the ESL programs.
  (Tao, p91, Exhibit 5.9)


The following percentages explain the distribution of the parenting education activities:
• 93% building parents' self esteem;
• 85% building parent life skills;
• 83% good health and nutrition practices;
• 81% knowledge of community and social services; and
• 69% knowledge of vocational and educational services.
  (Tao, p92, Exhibit 5.10)


Percentages of "most families" in parent child joint activity sessions:
• 93% provided reading, storytelling, and pre-reading;
• 90% provided language development;
• 89% provided social development;
• 81% provided health and nutrition;
• 81% provided self-discipline and self-help skills;
• 80% provided arts and crafts;
• 77% provided gross motor activities;
• 76% provided early academic skills;
• 75% provided sensory stimulation;
• 66% conducted activities selected and led by the child;
• 61% provided working with numbers;
• 51% provided working with letters and writing; and
• 29% conducted computer activities.
  (Tao, p94, Exhibit 5.12)


Types of parent support so parents could attend Even Start services:
• 92% provided child care;
• 71% provided home-based and center-based instruction; and
• 54% provided day and evening or weekend instruction.
  (Tao, p100, Exhibit 5.17)


Number of hours of parents participating, based on age:
• 139 hours for teen parents,
• 89 hours for parents aged 20-29,
• 93 hours for parents aged 30-39, and
• 95 hours for parents aged 40 or more.
  (Tao, p109, Exhibit 6.5)


Even Start exit statistics:
• 41% participated for two years;
• 59% exited within the first year of enrollment.
  (Tao, p120)
• 7% of families exited the program because they met their educational goals;
• 6% exited because they found employment;
• 9% exited due to a lack of interest or poor attendance;
• 7% exited due to a family crisis or conflict;
• 1% switched programs;
• 7% moved;
• 7% exited for unknown reasons.
  (Tao, p123, Exhibit 6.13)

Family Characteristics

The Kids Count Data Book 2000: State Profiles of Child Well-Being reported that in 1998:

• 23% of children under the age of 18 were living in working-poor families,
• 8% of children were living in extreme poverty (i.e., income below 50% of the poverty level),
  (The Annie E. Casey Foundation, p28)
• 20% of children were living in poverty, compared to 20% in 1990, and
• 26% of children lived with parents who did not have full-time, year-round employment.
  (The Annie E. Casey Foundation, p29)

The Current Population Survey found the following for 6-8 year olds in 1999:

Percentage whose mothers had a bachelor's degree or higher:
• 26.4% of the White population,
• 13.9% of the Black population, and
• 7.4% of the Hispanic population.
Percentage whose mothers had a high school diploma or GED:
• 35.2% of the White population,
• 37.1% of the Black population, and
• 25.2% of the Hispanic population.
Percentage whose mothers had less than a high school diploma
• 6.9% of the White population,
• 19.6% of the Black population, and
• 49.2% of the Hispanic population.
Percentage whose mothers had some college education:
• 31.4% of the White population,
• 29.5% of the Black population, and
• 18.2% of the Hispanic population.
  (U.S. Department of Education, NCES, p124, Table 5-1)

In The Right Start State Trends: Conditions of Babies Across America, the following was found in 1998:

• Births among teens who were already mothers:
• 22% of total births in the U.S.
• 18% of births in the White, non-Hispanic population,
• 27% of births in the Black Hispanic population, and
• 24% of births in the Hispanic population.
• Total teen births:
• 13% of total births in the U.S.
• 9% of births in the White, non-Hispanic population,
• 22% of births in the Black non-Hispanic population, and
• 17% of births in the Hispanic population.
• Total births to unmarried women:
• 33% of total births in the U.S.
• 22% of total of births in the White, non-Hispanic population,
• 69% of births in the Black non-Hispanic population, and
• 42% of births in the Hispanic population.
• Total births to mothers with less than 12 years of education:
• 22% of total births in the U.S.
• 13% of births in the White, non-Hispanic population,
• 27% of births in the Black non-Hispanic population, and
• 49% of births in the Hispanic population. (Croan, p12)