A study of work with parents to promote early literacy development

Abstract

Abstract Recent research has shown the extent of children's literacy experiences in the home before school entry, and their importance for subsequent attainment. Pre‐school intervention involving parents has been found effective in other areas of child development but there have so far been very few attempts to promote pre‐school literacy development directly by working with parents. There may be doubts about the form such work should take and its feasibility. In the present study, home‐based and school‐based ways of working with parents were devised and tried out with families in the Sheffield Early Literacy Development Project. Case studies of 20 children in the Project, aged between 1 and 4 years, and their parents were carried out. It was found that parents were willing and able to engage in a dialogue about their children's home literacy and that the Project changed their approach to children's literacy experiences. Both home‐based and school‐based methods had an impact but the former appeared superi...