Literacy Development Begins at Home, With a Literate Home Environment (continued)

Using the Materials:

The reading area should be available to all family members 24/7. Anytime someone has an urge to read (that doesn't interfere with family responsibilities), she should be able to come here for a leisurely reading experience. This means that for young children, books need to be accessible, so that children can get at them independently. Even if a parent is with the child, it is preferable for the child to pick the book he wants to look at on his own or have read aloud. Since children this age are prereaders, as much as possible, display books standing up so children can identify them by their covers. Storing books in a laundry basket or piling them on a shelf can be very frustrating to young readers.

Young children also need to see their parents and other family members using this reading area independently. Seeing their parents value reading in this way sends children the message that reading is an important activity. In this regard, Rasinski and Fredericks (1991, p.438) write: "It is crucial that children see their parents use reading for a variety of purposes from entertainment to maintaining a job. Parents should show children the many ways that they use reading."

In addition to using this area independently, families would do well to create a family reading time when everyone congregates in this area to read together. It doesn't have to be a lengthy amount of time-15 minutes can be effective, as long as it is a daily (or every other day) commitment. For many families, the best time seems to be in the evening after dinner has been eaten and the dishes have been washed and put away. The key is to make this a regularly scheduled event.

In addition to, or in lieu of reading together, families may wish to use this time for storytelling or sharing family history. In some cultures, oral traditions are the main form of literacy. Oral language forms a strong foundation for reading and can be encouraged in the same way that reading together is.

From the research, it appears that it does not particularly matter whether parents use this time together to read, tell stories, or let children independently look at books. In examining parental perspectives on literacy from diverse sociocultural groups, Baker at al. (1996, p.71) concluded the following:

The home literacy environments of European-American and African-American families did not differ in the data we have analyzed to date as strongly as those of middle-income and low-income families. Many middle-income parents seem to prefer to provide their children with opportunities for constructing their own understandings of literacy by making literacy materials readily available for independent use. Many low-income parents, in contrast, place relatively more emphasis on structured activities and on ostensible component skills in literacy. Thus middle-income families tend to adopt a more playful approach in preparing their children for literacy than low-income families.

Should this finding be of concern? We concur with Goldenberg, Reese, and Gallimore (1992) who argue that it may be more effective and adaptive to encourage home involvement that is consistent with parents' existing beliefs than to try to change parents' views.