• FAMILY ENGAGEMENT AGENDA HOME
• CURRENT AND RECENT INITIATIVES
• The Jacksonville
Pre-Collegiate
Connections: The
Reach-Out Program
• Family Engagement
and Early Learning
Community
• Family Get-Together:
Literacy Through the Arts
• CONTACT INFORMATION
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Family Get-Togethers: Literacy Through the Arts. A family engagement program offered as a component of the Early Learning Opportunities Act Bringing Education and Support to Teachers, Parents, and Children (BEST) Project. The Family Get-Togethers: Literacy Through the Arts program was a series of six, two hour workshops hosted by neighborhood organizations that included childcare centers, churches, elementary schools and public libraries. The workshops provided opportunities for families with three and four year old children to engage in arts and literacy experiences. Four literacy-oriented art series were offered: Dance and Movement, Drama and Storytelling, Music, and Visual Arts. |
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Program Goals:
- Increase involvement of low-income and ethnically diverse families in their children’s learning and readiness for school.
- Improve the reading and school readiness of preschool age children through arts and literacy experiences.
- Engage families in conversations about parenting strategies that support learning and school success.
- Provide resources to support family involvement in their children’s learning.
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Program Description:
The adult workshops included Family Conversations, Family Learning Time, Dinner and Discussion and Adult/Child Practice. The workshops were conducted by family engagement specialists. Family Literacy Bags were distributed at each workshop. Each Bag contained two children’s books, learning materials to use with the books, and a set of activity cards designed in accordance with age appropriate State of Florida Literacy Standards. Families were encouraged to use the books and materials at home with their children to increase their reading readiness and preparation for school.
Children participated in Children’s Club, an educationally oriented child care program, under the direction of a certified teacher and arts instructor. The age appropriate arts and literacy curriculum used in Children’s Club was created by professional consultants. Activities were aligned with performance standards for each art form. A highlight of the Family Get-Togethers program was the Children’s Club presentation of their work at the end of each series.
Weekly telephone calls were made following the workshops to answer questions and encourage families to use the arts and literacy materials provided at the workshops.
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Outcomes:
- Response to At-Home Surveys indicated that
- participants averaged reading the books included in the Literacy Bags between three and eight times each week.
- Participants used activities included in the Literacy Bags between seven and eighteen times each week.
- Response to a Family Involvement and Learning Survey indicated that participation
- changed their attitudes about helping their child learn at home,
- increased their belief in their ability to help their child succeed in school,
- increased their knowledge of how to help their child learn.
- Participants recommended increasing the number of workshop sessions from six to eight weeks
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