Family literacy programs are increasing in number in our province. To encourage the interest in this relatively new approach to literacy development, we've included an overview of family literacy to provide you with a handy source of information to draw from as you build your community partnerships. Specifically, the chapter contains two of the most commonly used definitions of family literacy, a rationale for programs, a brief discussion of family literacy as a type of community development, a summary of research, and a description of family literacy models currently in use or planned for Alberta.