The Family Storyteller: A Collaborative Family Literacy Program

Children who begin school with limited literacy skills are struggling uphill from the first day they set foot in school. The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension initiated a collaborative family literacy effort to improve the literacy skills of both parents and their children. A series of six weekly workshops have been provided across Nevada to over 500 families. Pre-post interviews with families have revealed significant increases in the amount of time parents read with their children, their enjoyment of reading time, and their use of specific parent reading techniques. Children have made significant gains in their enjoyment of reading with parents and their understanding of print concepts.