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Accelerating Early Literacy through Family Partnership

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Empowering Families, Accelerating Literacy: Strategies for Pre-K to Early Elementary Success

Research shows that when families are equipped with the right tools and guidance, literacy development accelerates. Discover how schools and families can partner to build strong reading foundations, starting at home and supported by your district.

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The Research is Clear: Family Engagement Drives Literacy Gains

“Parent involvement in children’s reading was found to have a significant effect on reading acquisition—especially when it involved active teaching.” 

– Sénéchal & Young, 2008”1

In recent years, the discussion on how children learn to read has become headline news. Families are move aware than ever that how students are taught can impact their ability to become strong readers. But for decades, research has shown that inviting parents and caregivers to partake in a child's literacy instruction can accelerate growth. 

 

What Schools and Districts Can Do

There are many ways schools can partner with a child's home community to support literacy development: 

  1. Make conversations about literacy more accessible

    • The average parent doesn't know what "phonics" or "onset and rime" means. Take the time to explain this new vocabulary in the same way you do with your students.
    • Consider developing a literacy glossary of common terms that parents can easily reference at home.
       

  2. Partner with the PTA to host a literacy night 

    • Request materials from your curriculum or technology partners to help families learn more about what literacy instruction looks like in your classrooms.
    • Partner with teachers and literacy coaches to create on-site activity stations that get family members learning, too! For ideas, check out this article from Buzzing with Ms. B.
    • Create take-home packs with resources, like those linked below, to help families get started. 
       

  3. Make learning to read fun! 

    • Learning to read is more enjoyable, for both children and their caregivers, when it feels like play.
    • Send at-home activity suggestions in your weekly newsletter or assign books and games via a free app, like Khan Academy Kids.
    • Help parents understand that it’s ok to stop when it’s no longer fun. It’s more important to enjoy reading and develop positive associations with reading than to read for a long time. 

 

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Tools for Families to Build Literacy at Home

Encourage educators to share these downloadable resources with families. Introduce the packet as a practical guide designed for use in daily routines.

 

Bring Evidence-Based Literacy Support to Your Schools

Khan Academy Kids’ partnerships team offers tailored support and implementation guidance to help schools foster stronger family engagement in literacy.

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Sources

1 Sénéchal, M., & Young, L. (2008). The effect of family literacy interventions on children's acquisition of reading from kindergarten to grade 3. [APA psycnet link]

 

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