Due to federal budget cuts in 2005-06, 11 family literacy programs in Pennsylvania switched from federal Even Start to state (Act 143) funding. Simultaneously, state welfare requirements stipulated that in most circumstances adult education is not an allowable work activity for welfare recipients over age 20. This study examined how these policy changes affected 10 Pennsylvania family literacy programs. The study reveals that the combination of these policy changes, coupled with the need to meet state standards, created distinctive challenges for programs, especially in student recruitment. Secondly, the effects of the policies were mediated by factors such as program size, structure, and geographic location, local infrastructure (e.g., transportation), and program participants' characteristics. Thirdly, the Act 143 and welfare policies had numerous, unintended ripple effects, affecting multiple programmatic areas and transcending the boundaries of government agencies. Fourthly, the findings show that the effects of policy changes are diverse and contradictory, simultaneously opening some opportunities while foreclosing others. Finally, the study illustrates the creative, resourceful ways that family literacy professionals respond to shifting policies.

"Changing the Course of Family Literacy" re-examines the importance and value of family literacy programming and offers several policy recommendations to focus attention on the four-component model used in Even Start. This paper explores the current status of Family literacy and, after gathering information from 47 states, found that 11 states and the District of Columbia funded family literacy programs in 2015-16. These states and local programs have fostered partnerships and braided funding to preserve and support family literacy programs and services. This paper poses a rationale and recommendations to support family literacy programs as an essential strategy for assisting low-income families in improving their education and employment prospects.

Parent involvement in literacy instruction has a significant, positive impact on children's reading acquisition and family economic success. Much like other place-based family strengthening approaches, family literacy programs are inherently family-focused, designed to address the learning needs of an entire family rather than each separate individual. Family literacy programs integrate four components: children's education, adult education, parenting education, and interactive literacy activities between parent/caregivers and children. The Family Strengthening Policy Center's descriptive synthesis explores the evidence base for family literacy, especially the benefits of parent/caregivers' literacy on children's development, educational achievement, reading acquisition, and attitudes toward education. The practice/policy brief also examines lapses in program quality, unstable funding, gaps in access, and other challenges faced by family literacy programs. The Center concludes that expansions in federal, state, and private support for family literacy programs should directly address these challenges. Public policy recommendations focus on providing adequate funding, reducing fragmentation in services for families, improving program accountability, raising standards, and expanding professional development and technical resources for programs. Foundations can support the development of local family literacy networks and invest in program capacity associated with the delivery of high-quality literacy services. (Contains 51 endnotes and 1 figure.) [This document was published by the Family Strengthening Policy Center, National Human Services Assembly.].

The Handbook of Family Literacy, 2e, provides the most comprehensive, up-to-date coverage of family literacy of any available book. It documents the need for literacy education for children and parents, describes early literacy and math development within the home, analyses interventions in home and center settings, and examines the issues faced by fathers and women with low literacy skills. Cultural issues are examined especially those for Hispanic, African American, American Indian, Alaskan Native, and migrant populations. Noted experts throughout the United States, Canada, England, the Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, and South Africa analyze the commonalities and differences of family literacy across cultures and families. Key features include the following. Comprehensive - Provides updated information on the relation between early childhood literacy development, parenting education, and intervention services. Research Focus - Provides an extensive review of experimental studies, including national reviews and meta-analyses on family literacy. Practice Focus - Provides a comprehensive treatment of family literacy interventions necessary for program developers, policy makers, and researchers. Diversity Focus - Provides detailed information on cultural and diversity issues for guiding interventions, policy, and research. International Focus - Provides an international perspective on family literacy services that informs program developers, researchers, and policy makers across countries. Evaluation Focus - Provides detailed guidelines for ensuring program quality and fidelity and a valuable new evaluation perspective based on implementation science. This book is essential reading for anyone - researchers, program developers, students, practitioners, and policy makers - who needs to be knowledgeable about intervention issues, family needs, program developments, and research outcomes in family literacy.

This book provides a systematic exploration of family literacy, including its historic origins, theoretical expansion, practical applications within the field, and focused topics within family literacy. Grounded in sociocultural approaches to learning and literacy, the book covers research on how families use literacy in their daily lives as well as different models of family literacy programs and interventions that provide opportunities for parent-child literacy interactions and that support the needs of children and parents as adult learners. Chapters discuss key topics, including the roles of race, ethnicity, culture, and social class in family literacy; digital family literacies; family-school relationships and parental engagement in schools; fathers’ involvement in family literacy; accountability and employment; and more. Throughout the book, Lynch and Prins share evidence-based literacy practices and highlight examples of successful family literacy programs. Acknowledging lingering concerns, challenges, and critiques of family literacy, the book also offers recommendations for research, policy, and practice. Accessible and thorough, this book comprehensively addresses family literacies and is relevant for researchers, scholars, graduate students, and instructors and practitioners in language and literacy programs.

Explains the supported and expanded reforms designed to broaden every family's access to education. Focuses on the production, research and information on innovative programs and practices, including substantive, creative, "user-friendly" research that is especially important in the field of family literacy. Includes: cultural accommodation and family literacy; parent and child interactions; intergenerational transfer of literacy; teaching parenting and basic skills to parents; designing and conducting family literacy programs and more.