With permission from the incarcerated parent, program staff should contact the outside caregiver to explain the family literacy program and the parent and child time which is spent engaging in interactive literacy activities. In some circumstances, this can be achieved through a visit between program staff and outside caregiver at a mutually convenient site, such as the caregiver’s home, the library, or other community site. During this visit, the purpose of the family education program and the interactive literacy activities is explained. The requirements of the correctional facility — such as bringing the child’s birth certificate to visits — are also explained. Books, materials, and activities that are used in the program can be reviewed and left with the caregiver. This visit also gives the caregiver an opportunity to voice any concerns about the program. If a visit between program staff and outside caregiver cannot be arranged, information about the program can be relayed via telephone, with written materials sent as a follow-up measure.

When the caregiver is sufficiently informed, the first interactive literacy activity time can be arranged. As circumstances warrant, program staff may wish to offer transportation assistance and other means of support to the caregiver.

Regardless of the availability of time for interactive literacy activities, outside caregivers are vital to any family literacy program operating in a correctional facility. They tend to the health and well being of the children, help strengthen familial ties, and support learning activities of both children and incarcerated parent. The outside caregivers are not alone in carrying out these responsibilities. Both the IDSM and the comprehensive family literacy model advocate connections to a continuum of support services, including early childhood programs.

Community Linkage
In transitioning out of a correctional facility into a community, incarcerated individuals need the support of that community. And, those transitioning individuals who are also parents will find that transition is as life altering to their children and family as it is to them. Linkages to support services facilitate the successful return of incarcerated individuals not only to the community but also to a reunified family.