The homes of poor undereducated families often have many rich literacy practices and supportive family values however those adults with low literacy skills have less economic security. This affects the environment that children need for learning. Literacy supports healthy family development and vice versa.
Early literacy skills are the foundation for future learning. Current research shows that early experiences help to determine brain structure which in turn shapes the way we learn, think, behave and respond to challenges for the rest of our lives. The skills and capacity to learn that we develop before the age of 6 stay with us for a lifetime.
Parents with higher literacy skills have greater economic security which contributes to healthy child development. Adults with low literacy are more likely to be unemployed, work in lower paying jobs and live in low-income households. Children of parents who have not graduated from high school are twice as likely to live in poverty as those whose parents graduated. (source: National Centre for Children in Poverty, 1992) In this environment children have many barriers and disadvantages. Parents with more education are better prepared to stay healthy, get and keep a job to become economically self- sufficient and adapt to life’s changes. These capabilities benefit their children as well.
Family poverty and low literacy have a negative impact on a child’s readiness to learn at school. The children of more highly educated mothers are better prepared with knowledge, oral language and literacy skills when they enter formal schooling. (source: Functional Context Education, Dr. Thomas Sticht, 1997 at: http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/context/cover.htm) Children of less literate parents are more likely to have developmental delays and behavioural issues that negatively affect school readiness. (source: National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, 1994) They also have drop out rates twice as high as for other children. Studies show that middle class children enter first grade having experienced an average of 1000-1700 hours of storybook reading in the home, compared with 25 hours for children from very low-income homes (source: Let’s Talk About Literacy, Literacy Partners of Manitoba, 1999.) Less literate parents may also not have the information, confidence, or skills to confront the school system to help their children.
Literacy and educational achievement often continue from generation to generation. One should be careful not to blame people with limited literacy for their lifestyle and health practices since low literacy limits informed choices, resources and the control which people have over their lives as well as their children’s. Participation in family literacy is strongly linked to scholastic achievement among children and to adults’ success in finding and keeping employment. Not only do family literacy programs emphasize the enjoyment of literacy for both parents and children, they also influence broader growth and development in society as a whole.
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Suggested Family Literacy Resources