Parent Education Overview

Parent education is one of the four components of family literacy. Comprehensive family literacy services are defined as: "services that are of sufficient intensity in terms of hours, and of sufficient duration, to make sustainable changes in a family, and that integrate all of the following activities:

  • Interactive literacy activities between parents and their children (PACT Time).
  • Training for parents regarding how to be the primary teacher for their children and full partners in the education of their children (Parent Education).
  • Parent literacy training that leads to economic self-sufficiency (Adult Education).
  • An age-appropriate education to prepare children for success in school and life experiences." (Children's Education).

This standard definition can be found in several pieces of federal legislation, including the Head Start Act, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, and the Community Services Block Grant Act.

The full power of comprehensive family literacy services lies in the integration of these four components to create a seamless approach to education. Family literacy programs recognize that the education of children and parents is interdependent. Through intensive education of more than one generation, family literacy programs:

  • Build upon families' strengths.
  • Provide the tools and support families need to build on their strengths as learners and expand their roles as family members, workers, and community members.
  • Create life- long learners.

Family literacy programs have been recognized as a way to help children become successful in school while their parents develop literacy skills. The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, Title II of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, reflects this dual goal in its encouragement of adults to become full partners in the educational development of their children. Family literacy programs have created many learning opportunities for adult English language learners and their children.

To learn more about family literacy, adult education, and ESL education, visit the Verizon Literacy Campus at http://www.literacycampus.org/. This site offers numerous self-paced 30-60 minute online courses at no cost.