The Important Role that Home Culture Plays in Literacy

To the average layman, it can be easy to downplay the important role that home culture plays in literacy, specifically when it has to do with the involvement of parents. However, experts in the field see it completely differently.

According to the Edutopia organization, parental involvement is one of the strongest indicators of early literacy success and future school achievement. The studies continue to show, for example, that mom and dad are a child’s first teachers and role models. So, even though researchers know it’s important, many parents don’t always know this, says the National Literacy Trust organization.

Consequently, it’s imperative that educators let parents know how much influence they have in helping their kids with reading literacy, especially in the early years. For example, parents should encourage and help their kids to read on a daily basis and, if possible, should have at least 100 children’s books in the home, adds Edutopia.

Not surprisingly, dual language kids need even more support with reading. One suggestion by the Latino Family Literacy Project is that parents establish a regular reading time with their children and then stick with it, which is usually easier once parents know how much it does help. The latest emergent literacy research states also that, if a child’s early experiences with books are pleasant and fun, he or she is likely to continue to feel that way about reading throughout his or her life, per the white paper Emergent Literacy – Investing Early for Exponential Outcomes.”

The Latino Literacy Project offers teachers and schools a half-day training workshop or an online webinar in helping parents create a successful at-home, bilingual reading routine in which both the parents and kids will benefit tremendously, possibly even helping parents who may not be big readers themselves.