Welcome to Early Literacy Matters

Family Involvment

Family Involvement

ELM helps classroom staff to establish the school/home connection by:

providing books to send home via the classroom Book Lending Library for families to read together;

assisting the classroom staff to plan family events; distributing information and hands on literacy activities for parents to do with their child at home.

ELM believes that involving families in their child’s early education is vital for literacy development in young children. Parental involvement not only shapes development during the initial years of life, but also during the adolescent and adult years. Positive parental influence needs to be in place long before children enter elementary school.

Aspects of literacy that are likely to be influenced by the family environment include print awareness, knowledge of text, vocabulary and reading as a source of enjoyment.

Parents who interact regularly with children and who believe their children are interested in reading are more likely to provide abundant print-related experiences. These positive literacy attitudes and expectations are likely to have a lasting effect on a child's attitude about learning and literacy.

One way to accomplish this is for the family to create a literacy-rich home environment that encourages learning. Activities that parents might do would include: