Building Museum-University-Library Partnerships for Family Learning and Engagement: Lessons from the Talk with Me Toolkits

Family engagement in early learning opportunities at home and in early childhood education centers in Colombia

Early learning and development programs, including home visiting, provide caregivers with skills and resources to form strong relationships with their children and set families on a trajectory for success. However, the quality of home visiting services and families’ engagement in the program influence program effectiveness and family outcomes. Racial, ethnic, and language concordance among home visitors and caregivers may affect home visiting quality and family engagement; however, little is known about these associations in an Early Head Start (EHS) context. The current study draws on secondary analysis of the Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (Baby FACES, 2009–2012) longitudinal and nationally representative datasets to explore within- and between-year associations among home visiting program quality, family engagement, and caregiving quality as a function of racial, ethnic, and language concordance in a sample of families enrolled in EHS home visiting services. Within-year home visiting quality and family engagement were higher among families whose caregivers were racially, ethnically, and linguistically concordant with their home visitors (with some exceptions). Home visiting quality and family engagement were positively associated with caregiving quality among discordant, but not concordant, groups in subsequent years. Results highlight the importance of psychometrically validated instruments that assess racial concordance in a home visiting context, including those that examine racial/ethnic and language concordance in the provision of EHS services. Findings call for future investigation into intermediaries between EHS program characteristics and family engagement. Home visiting intervention services, such as Early Head Start, set families up for success. Home visiting program quality and family engagement vary based on provider and family characteristics. Within-year home visiting quality and family engagement were greater among concordant groups. Between-year associations among home visiting and caregiving were positive among discordant groups. Findings inform culturally competent home visiting practices and call for further investigation.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused serious social disruptions and posed significant challenges to all families, especially immigrant families. Immigrant families who spoke languages other than English and who had young bilingual children faced numerous barriers as they struggled to navigate remote learning with their children without adequate language and technological support. The need to design action plans to mitigate the negative educational impact of the pandemic on immigrant families with young bilingual children was urgent. To address the immediate needs of immigrant families during the first year of the pandemic, this transformative mixed-methods study presents a family engagement and home learning program called the Home Connection. This program was collaboratively designed and implemented to support 20 immigrant families with 42 young bilingual children from the Metro and Greater Boston Areas. Focusing on the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Home Connection program, findings from this study demonstrate how the family participants actively engaged with and positively evaluated the program. These findings also suggest that family and community engagement play a crucial role in creating a more sustainable support system for immigrant families as well as equitable learning experiences for young bilingual children during and after the pandemic.

This study aims to explore caregivers’ perceptions of the public library's role in supporting early literacy and family engagement in the digital age in Asia. Family engagement is important from birth through young adulthood, and public libraries matter for family engagement. However, this topic has been little explored in Asian countries. Structured interviews were conducted with librarians, followed by a survey approach to understand what caregivers of five- to 12-year-old children think about the scope of family engagement practices in public libraries in Taiwan, Malaysia, and Vietnam. In total, 454 valid questionnaires were collected. Findings show that caregivers value the importance of public libraries’ role in promoting family engagement in the digital age in Taiwan, Malaysia, and Vietnam. In order to reap the rewards of family engagement practices, public libraries are suggested to build relationships with families through proactively understanding families’ interests and needs, involving families in the library decision-making process, and engaging families in both print-based and digital literacy programmes.

Research Findings: In the present meta-analysis, information from 21 studies (representing 22 separate samples) was pooled across a 10-year period (1998–2008). Across 2 primary dimensions of direct father involvement (frequency of positive engagement activities and aspects of parenting quality) and 5 dimensions of children's early learning (representing social and cognitive domains), findings revealed small to moderate associations. Among group differences tested to further explain the relationships between these constructs, residential status and the ethnic/racial identification of fathers' surfaced as significant moderators, whereas income status was only meaningful at the trend level. Practice or Policy: In recent years, national attention has increased concerning the important influence of fathers on children's development. Concurrently, national interest has turned to the early childhood period as marking a major transition for young children, during which children are confronted with new and diverse developmental challenges that require emotional, social, and cognitive competence across their home and school environments. Although there is a growing body of research on fatherhood and father involvement, this literature has not been examined systematically to determine the strength of associations between specific dimensions of father involvement and young children's early learning that could inform the efforts of early childhood practitioners and family engagement programming decisions.

This instrumental case study examined how Black and Latina mothers view family engagement practices and related training needs in an early childhood program. The program serves families in a city with a high rate of poverty in the northeast region of the United States. Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory was used to guide this study of parent-teacher relationships, given their influence on young children's development and learning. This study was intended to address a gap in the research literature about family engagement practice and training-through the eyes of parents. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six mothers and three teaching staff. Overall, this study found that Black and Latina mothers view family engagement as being involved, engaged and connected to the program staff. They want to support their children's early learning-inside and outside of the program. As single, working mothers, they value close relationships and open, two-way communication with the program staff whom they see 'like family.' The mothers recommend information sharing, training and staff supports, and opportunities for parent participation as ways for programs to enhance family engagement. Teachers share parents' perspectives about the meaning of family engagement, staff attitudes, practices, and abilities, with different priorities. This study's findings have implications for family engagement practice in programs, training development and funding. Future research should explore parent perspectives of family engagement using qualitative and quantitative approaches, implementation of family engagement training, and the impact of family engagement training on family and child outcomes.--Author's abstract

Preschools and public libraries are natural partners in that they share similarities in their support for early learning and family engagement for the young children and families in their communities. Because of this, public libraries often partner with preschools to offer rotating book collections and storytimes to increase book access and literacy skills for the young children who attend the preschool. However, libraries and preschools could be expanding their partnerships beyond these two services to have a greater impact for the preschool children and families, but both organizations typically struggle to find the time and space to work on deepening the partnership. This study worked to cultivate and deepen a library-preschool partnership by offering two workshops for the library and preschool staffs to provide them with time to build a community and develop ideas for working together to support the preschool children and families. Ultimately, these workshops were successful in deepening the library-preschool partnership and helping to enhance the preschool’s early learning environment and increase whole family engagement for the preschool families.

ABSTRACT: In recent years, there has been significant interest in designing critical, asset-based family literacy and engagement programs that transform systemic racial and economic inequities and affirm and sustain marginalized families' cultural and linguistic practices. This study draws from perspectives on culturally sustaining family literacies to examine the role that shared texts played in co-learning among families in Read Make & Play (RMP), a bilingual family literacy program in Chicago, IL. As a collaborative practitioner-researcher team, we used qualitative methods to study the experience of parents/caregivers in two cohorts from 2021-2022. Our findings suggest that families cultivated a ‘textual agency’ through adapting, re-storying, and integrating texts and materials into everyday routines and rituals, which transformed hierarchies of knowledge between each other and the texts. This study has implications for transformative family literacy and engagement work, research, and theory-building.

There is an increased recognition that family literacy programs can play a fundamental role in enhancing young children's literacy learning. Research in early literacy development stresses the importance of a partnership between home and school in promoting literacy skills among children (Nutbrown, Hannon, & Morgan, 2005). The concept of family literacy was used to refer to the interrelated literacy practices used by parents and/or family members and children in homes (Hannon, 2000; Teale, 1986). Although family literacy programs are a relatively new phenomenon within the educational context in Qatar, the effectiveness of these programs and the attitudes of those who are involved in these programs remain unknown. Therefore, this study was designed to assess the effectiveness of family literacy programs on children's literacy development implemented in Qatari preschool settings. It also explored the main areas of family literacy programs. Moreover, it examined the attitudes of teachers and parents towards their involvement in literacy learning after the implementation of the family literacy programs. A multi-method approach was utilized, including questionnaires, interviews, and observations. To achieve the objectives of the study, family literacy programs were established in Qatari preschool settings where teachers and parents worked together to facilitate preschoolers’ emergent literacy learning and development. The effectiveness of family literacy programs were assessed based on ORIM framework (Hannon, 1998), which conceptualizes families as supporting their children's literacy learning through providing “opportunities” for learning, showing “recognition” of children's activities, “interaction” with children in terms of literacy activities and providing a “model” of a literacy user. Results indicated that family literacy programs implemented in Qatari preschool settings supported children's literacy learning. Furthermore, the results revealed that both kindergarten teachers and parents of preschoolers expressed positive attitudes towards their involvement in the family literacy programs. In addition, it has been found that literacy practices advocated by ORIM framework were ranged from high to moderate, with “recognition of children's activities” receiving the highest rate, followed by providing “opportunities” for learning. Finally, the study revealed that parents addressed all four strands of literacy with “books” and “oral language” receiving the highest rate. The study suggested developing strategies and policies regarding family literacy programs within Qatari kindergarten and primary schools. The study also identified practices needed for parents to promote children's literacy learning and development. Future directions for research and practical implications are also discussed. Key

Contents: Preface. Part I: Overview of Family Literacy: Development, Concepts, and Practice. B.H. Wasik, S. Herrmann, Family Literacy: History, Concepts, Services. P. Hannon, V. Bird, Family Literacy in England: Theory, Practice, Research, and Policy. Part II: Children and Early Childhood Education Within Family Literacy Programs. J. Sparling, Earliest Literacy: From Birth to Age 3. C.J. Lonigan, Emergent Literacy Skills and Family Literacy. L.M. Morrow, J. Temlock-Fields, Use of Literature in the Home and at School. V. Purcell-Gates, Family Literacy as the Site for Emerging Knowledge of Written Language. A.S. Fuligni, J. Brooks-Gunn, Early Childhood Intervention in Family Literacy Programs. D.K. Dickinson, R.G. St.Pierre, J. Pettengill, High-Quality Classrooms: A Key Ingredient to Family Literacy Programs' Support for Children's Literacy. Part III: Parenting and Parent Education. D.R. Powell, Parenting Education in Family Literacy Programs. R.C. Pianta, Relationships Among Children and Adults and Family Literacy. K. Jacobs, Parent and Child Together Time. F.V. Rodriguez-Brown, Project FLAME: A Parent Support Family Literacy Model. Part IV: Adult Education. J.P. Comings, The Process and Content of Adult Education in Family Literacy Programs. J.A. Alamprese, Understanding Adult Education in the Context of Family Literacy. E.N. Askov, Workforce Literacy and Technology in Family Literacy Programs. Part V: The Home Environment and Home Services. K.A. Roskos, S. Twardosz, Resources, Family Literacy, and Children Learning to Read. C.S. Hammer, A.W. Miccio, Home Literacy Experiences of Latino Families. D. Bryant, B.H. Wasik, Home Visiting and Family Literacy Programs. Part VI: Coordination and Integration Issues in Family Literacy. M. Potts, Integration of Components in Family Literacy Services. G.L. Harbin, S. Herrmann, B.H. Wasik, D.R. Dobbins, W.K. Lam, Integrating Services for Family Literacy. Part VII: Diversity and Culture. V.L. Gadsden, Family Literacy and Culture. L. Vernon-Feagans, D. Head-Reeves, K. Kainz, An Ecocultural Perspective on Early Literacy: Avoiding the Perils of School for NonMainstream Children. H.S. Wrigley, We Are the World: Serving Language-Minority Adults in Family Literacy Programs. J. Strucker, C. Snow, B.A. Pan, Family Literacy for ESOL Families: Challenges and Design Principles. S. Emberton, Family and Child Education (FACE): Family Literacy Services for American Indians. Part VIII: Assessment and Evaluation. P. Johnston, E. Yanoff, Early Childhood Assessment and Family Literacy. C.J. Lonigan, K.D. McDowell, B.M. Phillips, Standardized Assessments of Children's Emergent Literacy Skills. D. Powell, L. Okagaki, K. Bojczyk, Evaluating Parent Participation and Outcomes in Family Literacy Programs: Cultural Diversity Considerations. B. Van Horn, L. Forlizzi, Assessment of Adult Literacy Skills. R.G. St.Pierre, A.E. Ricciuti, F. Tao, Continuous Improvement in Family Literacy Programs. Part IX: What the Future May Bring. S. Darling, Future Directions for Family Literacy. B.H. Wasik, Family Literacy Programs: Synthesizing Across Themes, Theories, and Recommendations.

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the influences of family literacy workshops on family involvement, families' self-efficacy, and their perception of their children's reading performance. The participants were families of students receiving Title 1 reading service in grade 2, 3 and 4. The research questions for this study were: Do family literacy workshops influence the way families engage with their children's reading at home? Does families' participation in family literacy workshops influence their perception of their children's reading performance? Does families' participation in family literacy workshops influence their perception of their children's reading performance? This mixed-methods study gathered data using both quantitative and qualitative methods to enhance the interpretation of the data. The pre- and post- workshop surveys and workshop exit surveys were collected. A series of four workshops that focused on fluency and comprehension strategies was presented as a part of this study. Observations from the workshops and case study interviews were collected. The researcher used semi-structured interview questions to determine the influence of family literacy workshops on family engagement in their children's reading at home, their self-efficacy in ability to help their children's reading, and their perception of their children's reading performance. The integrated analysis of quantitative and qualitative data revealed three major findings: 1) participants expressed the need to partner with teachers to support successful learning experiences for their children; 2) participants described improved involvement with their children in reading support when using resources and strategies from the literacy workshops; and 3) participants perceived improved reading skills in their children after using resources and strategies from the literacy workshops. The results of this study demonstrate that a targeted, parent-focused literacy program can be effective in promoting parents' sense of confidence and competency in support of their children's reading at home. Further research is necessary to understand the connection between parents' participation in family literacy programs and children's reading skills and academic achievement. We also must strive to understand how these programs intersect with existing cultural practices, the home learning environment, and the larger community.

BackgroundEngaging youth and family members as active partners in research and service design offers great promise in improving projects. In youth mental health, recent research has highlighted the value of youth and family engagement. However, research on the experience and impacts of engagement is sparse.ObjectiveThis study explores the project team's experience of youth and family engagement in the design and development of the YouthCan IMPACT randomized controlled trial and clinical service pathway design.DesignQualitative data collected using semi‐structured interviews and a focus group as part of the YouthCan IMPACT clinical trial were analysed to understand the impacts of engagement. Twenty‐eight team members were interviewed, including youth and family members. A qualitative content analysis was conducted, with a member checking process.ResultsTeam members reported facilitators, barriers and impacts of youth and family engagement. Facilitators included a safe environment and strong procedures conducive to inclusion in co‐design. Barriers included logistical, structural and institutional constraints. Overall, team members found youth and family engagement to be valuable and to positively impact the research and service design process.Discussion and ConclusionsYouth and family engagement played a critical role in research and clinical service pathway design. The team found that their involvement improved the quality of the research and service pathway through sustained and multifaceted engagement. Facilitators and barriers to engagement may serve to guide future engagement initiatives. Future research should evaluate the long‐term impact of early engagement and further focus on family engagement.Patient/Public ContributionYouth and family members were engaged in the data analysis and interpretation process.

Recent evidence has suggested that low socioeconomic status (SES), race, prematurity, and maternal smoking during pregnancy are associated with childhood sleep disordered breathing (SDB). We investigated (1) the association of SDB with a wide range of risk factors, including prenatal and perinatal complications; (2) the association of these complications with SES and race; and (3) the association of SDB with developmental milestones. Six hundred thirteen school-aged children (105 clinically referred and 508 community control subjects) underwent overnight polysomnography and had a complete history and physical examination. A comprehensive child development questionnaire was completed by a parent. We compared clinically referred children with SDB to population-based control children without SDB from The Penn State Children's Cohort. Maternal smoking during pregnancy; maternal age and weight gain during pregnancy; prenatal complications, such as maternal high blood pressure and gestational diabetes; perinatal complications related to prematurity; delayed motor milestones; race and SES were significantly associated with the presence of childhood SDB. Most of the risk factors became nonsignificant when analyses controlled for race and SES. Delayed motor milestones remained significantly associated with SDB after controlling for race and SES. These data suggest that there is a significant association between children who experience prenatal or perinatal distress and the development of moderate to severe childhood SDB. SES and race may be mediating the impact on SDB through increased prenatal and perinatal risks. The significant delay in motor milestones suggests that prenatal and perinatal distress may result in neurologic insult, which could influence the development of SDB in later childhood.

Family engagement is a protective factor for the well-being of children from ethnoracially minoritized and low-income backgrounds, including Latine children. These findings have informed efforts to foster stronger family-school partnerships that value and leverage families’ knowledge and practices in children’s preschool classroom curriculum. Unfortunately, many Latine families face a host of barriers participating in their children’s schools. With the goal of minimizing some of these barriers, a small but growing body of research is exploring the utility of using screen technologies (i.e., smartphones, tablets, and online platforms) to foster stronger family engagement and family-school partnerships. Findings suggest that screen technologies can address some of the barriers experienced by Latine families, but the methods employed by most technology-based programs undermine families’ knowledge and existing practices by primarily utilizing these tools to disseminate information from the school to the families (i.e., school-to-home approach). This chapter aims to argue that leveraging mobile screens to support a home-to-school approach to family engagement might be a more effective strategy for tapping into and capitalizing on Latine families’ strengths at home and in the school setting to promote young children’s well-being. Recommendations for how to leverage these tools to foster stronger family-school partnerships are discussed.

This study examines the role of family engagement in supporting young children’s learning in rural Tajikistan, shifting the focus from the parent–child relationship to the broader family network. Drawing on interviews with mothers and fathers, as well as children’s video-diaries from five families in Wakhan, Tajikistan, this study highlights the key roles played by siblings and grandparents in young children’s education. The findings suggest that a family engagement framework, rather than a conventional model of parental engagement, may be more appropriate in rural Tajikistan, as it better captures its collective and culturally embedded nature of caregiving. The study calls for more inclusive, context-driven approaches to understanding how families engage in children’s education, urging researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to recognize the role of the entire family in supporting children’s learning, particularly in traditional and rural settings.