Family Reading Night

Introduction
The area of literacy came of interest to me after discussing possible topics for my Senior Project with the Social Services Manager at the preschool facility where I was interning. After conducting the initial research on the topic, I decided that it would be a good idea to do something in that area. The focus of my project would be a Family Reading Night to bring the family together for one night centered on reading and literacy. I was able to come up with ideas that would give the parents information on reading but that would also be fun for the children.

Statement of Need
From the research I conducted, it was evident that family literacy activities contribute to a child’s success in school. It was also evident that family literacy programs can be beneficial to both children and parents. I also learned that there is a correlation between family poverty and literacy activities (Holloway, 2001). To be enrolled in the preschool facility where I intern, families must meet income guidelines that are approximately the same as the federal poverty level. Because of their income level, I believe these statements can be applied to them. There is further evidence that when reading is viewed as a fun activity with the parent, children are more persistent and motivated to improve their skills (Douville, 2000).

I also conducted interviews with four parents that have their child enrolled in the agency where I intern. I learned through these interviews that an event that focused on reading and was open to the family would be well received. They all expressed that they enjoy reading with their children and would like to come to any event where books would be given to their children. I was able to conduct interviews with administrators from the agency and direct service providers. They informed me that family events usually do well within the agency. They also informed me that any event that provided books and activities is usually successful.

Description of the Intervention
My goal was to plan a family reading night in April of 2005 for the families at my agency. This reading night would provide the families with a chance to learn information about reading and to participate in different activities geared toward reading. It was my goal that every child that attends walked away with a book. It was also my goal that the parents and children learned that reading can be a fun event to be shared by the family. I developed flyers for this event and distributed them to the families enrolled in our program.

I planned this family reading night to be a two and a half hour event. As each parent entered, they received a folder that had a pen, agenda, evaluation, information called reading tips at a glance, and a set of coloring sheets featuring Curious George. They served themselves dinner that was provided by the preschool agency. After a brief introduction, the County librarian read some stories and flannel board stories. The stories were interactive and provided the children with chances to give answers and input. There was then a 40-minute period for the children to do activities. There was a free draw table covered with paper and supplied with markers. There was also a table for children and parents to make their own bookmarkers. There were dried flower petals, stickers and markers to decorate the bookmarkers and then they were covered with clear contact paper for durability. I next gave a short, 10-minute presentation on reading with children. A local bookstore! then read a few “Curious George” stories to the children with some interaction. At the end of the reading, there was a brief time given to the attendees to fill out and turn in evaluations. Once they turned in an evaluation, they became eligible for a door prize drawing, which was the last item on the agenda. As they left, all children were given two books. I originally planned on giving each child one book, but due to the limited number of families who came, I was able to increase that to two books.

Evaluation of the Intervention
Each participant was given a standardized agency evaluation form when they entered. There are two sections to the evaluation. The first section has five different faces that are labeled from “stimulating and interesting” down to “it put me to sleep”. There was a middle range of “okay,” which only 7% of the attendees chose. The remaining 93% of the attendees chose either the “stimulating and interesting” or “interesting” categories.

The second section of the evaluation consisted of seven statements where the answers could be “excellent,” “good,” “fair” or “poor”. These statements were

1. Good ideas and information I can use
2. Communicated clearly
3. Responsive to questions
4. Prepared and organized
5. Enthusiastic
6. Knowledgeable about topic
7. Would recommend presenter to others

For the first statement, 7% answered "fair". The answer of "excellent" received 64%, while "good" received 29%. The remaining statements were all answered with 86% "excellent" and 14% "good".

At the bottom of each evaluation there was also a place for comments. All of the comments were positive, referring to the fun the family had or thanking me for the books the child received. All of these evaluations were given to the Social Services Manager who will review them and keep them on file. Also present at the event were three members of a local group who gave me a $250.00 donation for purchasing the books and supplies that I needed for the night. All three of these women informed me that they were completely satisfied with how the money was spent and that they had a wonderful time.

Reflections on the Intervention
I feel that overall the event was a success. My goal was to provide children with books and for everyone, parents and children, to have a good time; everyone related that they did. The one part of the project that did not turn out how it was supposed to was the reading with Curious George. The character, Curious George, was supposed to be there in person. In the afternoon of the day of my event, I found out that he would not be able to attend due to a mix up. Unfortunately, my flyers advertised the fact that he would be there and that was to be the main attraction of the night. He was also the reason that the Curious George coloring sheets were put into every folder for the children. I understand that there was nothing that could be done to remedy the situation, but having him there would have been a joy for the children. I am thankful that the bookstore was still able to come and read the stories, even without George himself.

This event took more planning than I expected and I am thankful that there were administrators that were willing to meet with me and provide me with information in areas that I had not considered. For example, the thought of having to provide all of the information in English and Spanish never crossed my mind. At the center where I am, there are no Spanish only families so this was not something I considered.

Looking back, I would have allowed more time for the preparations of the event. The activity of making bookmarkers was successful, but it was extremely time consuming. All of the construction paper had to be cut on a paper cutter. The contact paper however, would not fit on the paper cutter so I had to cut all of it by hand with scissors. It ended up being very time consuming and tedious. If I had known, I would have gotten an earlier start on it.

Another area that I would try to do differently would be the attendance. Looking back, I think I should have made time to go to every center to talk about the event and how much fun it was going to be. Instead, I sent flyers to every center with a note explaining that this was my community project and could the staff please make the appropriate number of copies needed and to distribute them to each parent through their childs’ cubby box. This event was open to approximately 240 families. Of these families, only 30 signed up and only 15 actually attended. I am not sure how I could have gotten a larger audience, but that would definitely be an area of consideration. I have been told though, by administrators and supervisors that I did have a good turnout. Overall, I feel the event was a success. I believe that the families and children that did attend benefited from the information and activities. I also believe that these children will have a greater chance at success ! because of this information, which will eventually benefit the community.

References
Douville, P. (2000). Helping parents develop literacy at home. Preventing School Failure, 44 (4), 179-181.
Holloway, J. (2004). Family literacy. Educational Leadership, 61 (6), 88-90.

Interviews
Administrator A, preschool facility, Red Bluff, CA.
Administrator B, preschool facility, Red Bluff, CA.
Client A, preschool facility, Red Bluff, CA.
Client B, preschool facility, Red Bluff, CA.
Client C, preschool facility, Red Bluff, CA.
Client D, preschool facility, Red Bluff, CA.
Direct service provider A, preschool facility, Red Bluff, CA.
Direct service provider B, preschool facility, Red Bluff, CA.