Promising practices in family literacy programs

Summary: This article is organized around five statements of principle that are the basis of promising practice in family literacy: 1. Family literacy programs are participatory, intergeneration, support diversity and build on the strengths and goals of families and their community; 2. Family literacy programs reduce barriers to participation and retention; 3. Family literacy programs encourage community involvement, partnerships, support and referrals; 4. Family literacy programs engage in ongoing assessment, evaluation and documentation strategies; 5. Family literacy programs recruit, train, and retain high quality staff who can meet the diverse learning needs of participating family members. Brief examples of programs implementing these principles are described. While not comprehensive, it gives an overview of the variety of family literacy work done in Canada.