Family Literacy Month and NCFL Founder

"Literacy is the stem of the flower.  If you don't have a strong stem, none of the other petals of learning (work skills, reading to your child, getting a driver's license and more) can happen"  So says Sharon Darling, the founder of the National Center for Family Literacy in the video about her life below.  Watch this 17 minute video to learn what family literacy is all about.  It is one of 4 videos below about adult literacy in our link to U-tube productions available in VALF's blog.

Volunteer literacy programs can celebrate November as Family Literacy Month in small and big ways.  Here are examples:

• Provide literacy lesson using picture books this month.  Help parents learn to read words while getting tips on how to read to their child.  The parent can then take the book home to share with their child.
• If you are working with a very low literate parent or with someone who does not read English, use wordless picture books or bilingual books.  This makes sharing stories easier.
  
• Hold a family festival night.  Invite parents who are students to  come with their children to enjoy stories and books together.  Provide food, make crafts, give books away and more...
  
• Invite your library staff to provide a program and tour of the library for your families.
• Write a letter to your newspaper's editor or post on the paper's electronic publication highlighting the problem of adult literacy in the context of the family.  Share your learner's success stories as related to their children.
• Share other ways in the comments for this blog post....
  

 Most volunteer programs lack the resources to provide a comprehensive family literacy program, but many can provide special activities to encourage families learning together.   A comprehensive program has 4 components (Children are learning, Parents learn how to work with their children as related to literacy, Parent and Children Interaction Time also called PACT where children and parents play and read together and an area that is most important, ADULTS LEARNING BASIC LITERACY SKILLS. You can learn more about all components at the link to NCFL.

So much of the time, schools, libraries and many others tell parents to read to their child forgetting that many parents of struggling readers can not read very well themselves.  If a parent lacks the skills to read, they are often embarrassed about it and can not read to their child. 

Volunteer literacy programs are vital because they help parents gain these basic skills which will be passed on to their children!