YES Reading is adding another dimension to its already very successful Home Connections program: The Family Literacy Project. Parents with children in the YES Reading program are coming together once a month to improve their own literacy, and learn strategies to help their children succeed in school.
Rosa Salinas, Director of the Home Connections Program said, “We want our parents to realize the critical role they play as their children’s first teacher, and feel comfortable to participate in their child’s schooling.”
The new Family Literacy Project is piloting at three of YES Reading’s centers, Mariano Castro in Mountain View, Selby Lane in Atherton, and Belle Haven in Menlo Park. Each one hour session focuses on a different strategy parents can use to help their student in school. The skills are very simple to enact, and even with limited English skills, all parents can do them. The year begins with general topics, such as “print concepts” and “comprehension strategies.” As the year progresses, the subject matter becomes much more specific, narrowed to subjects like “the read aloud” and “choosing the right book.” High quality read-aloud books are raffled off during sessions, and dictionaries have been given to every family member enrolled in the class. Homework is assigned, and parents work together to complete projects. There is also a field trip to the local library!
While there is a specific topic assigned to each session, plenty of time is saved for parents to share their successes and ask questions of each other. Many parents share in the same struggles, and YES Reading has created a safe space for them to support each other in their goals to be positive literacy models for their children, and provide more literacy opportunities at home.
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