Abstract
The present study examines associations between parents’ involvement in an enhanced storytime program and parenting knowledge and efficacy for supporting their child’s socioemotional development and book reading. Books Can…© was developed by a public library to teach parents important child development information and strategies for supporting their child’s socioemotional learning. Parents and their young children participated in a 6-week interactive program that included book reading, songs, interactive activities, and parenting tips. Parents (n =119) completed questionnaires both prior to and after participating in the program. Multilevel general linear models compared responses to survey items before and after the program, indicating significant increases in parent knowledge, attitudes, and reading behavior by the end of the program. This study provides preliminary support documenting the benefits of the Books Can…© program. Moreover, results highlight public libraries and enhanced storytime programs as meaningful settings for promoting family involvement in children’s early learning.
Highlights
1.1 IntroductionEnsuring all children enter kindergarten ready to learn continues to be a goal of early childhood educators, researchers, and policy makers alike (Bierman, Nix, Greenberg, Blair, & Domitrovich, 2008; Copple, & Bredekamp, 2009)
Research conducted on family and community involvement suggests that informal learning settings play a central role in families’ lives (Callanan, Castañeda, Luce, & Martin, 2017; Henderson & Mapp, 2002)
A two-level General Linear Model (GLM) was conducted for each outcome to determine whether participants scored differently on the program outcomes after having completed the program compared to before
Summary
Ensuring all children enter kindergarten ready to learn continues to be a goal of early childhood educators, researchers, and policy makers alike (Bierman, Nix, Greenberg, Blair, & Domitrovich, 2008; Copple, & Bredekamp, 2009). Teachers report nationally that just under half of students enter kindergarten with the social and behavioral skills they need to engage in learning (Bernstein, West, Newsham, & Reid, 2014). Research conducted on family and community involvement suggests that informal learning settings play a central role in families’ lives (Callanan, Castañeda, Luce, & Martin, 2017; Henderson & Mapp, 2002). One way that community settings can support parenting skills that promote early socioemotional development is through interactive parent-child programming (Lopez, Caspe, & McWilliams, 2016; Taylor, Pratt, van Huisstede, & Gaias, 2016). The present study examines the degree to which a public library’s enhanced storytime program is associated with improved parent knowledge, attitudes, and reading behavior
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