Family Literacy at PCLC encourages parents and caregivers to take an active part in the education of their children in the firm belief that such activities will greatly increase the odds of the children’s success in school. By connecting the literacy of the adult with the literacy of the child, modeling literacy friendly activities, and interacting with books, new family patterns will emerge.

Family Literacy goals are straightforward –

1. Encourage adults to pursue education. FL often motivates a parent to take the next step in their own education, be it GED, individual tutoring, driver’s license tutoring, or advanced education. Understanding the importance of education can re-ignite a long standing intention to move on to another personal goal. All services at PCLC are available to families involved in the FL program.

2. Encourage reading and writing in the home, and emphasize life-long learning. In many homes, education is a low priority. Children in these homes often receive little encouragement or opportunity to read and write. After parents have witnessed the benefits of literacy and receive encouragement themselves, their enthusiasm is spread to their children. Programs with the FL families provide information on issues related to literacy and pre-literacy, helping families understand the process of learning to read.

3. Teach literacy through the use of children’s books. Good books for young children are user-friendly and appeal to everyone. If an adult has trouble reading, children’s books can be a great place to start. The adult will gain experience in reading, and the children will benefit from being read to as well. Children are given new books to keep and take home, along with age appropriate story stretcher activities and other ideas for the parents to continue at home. The bi-monthly newsletter continues this theme, with information of interest to parents of preschoolers just beginning to learn about books and reading. The newsletters include activities for the parent, and various activities the parents can pursue with the child at their leisure. FL conducts a community book drive each year to collect age appropriate books to distribute to the Head Start children.

4. Help prevent another generation of illiteracy. Reading together increases the literacy of the adult and the child. Reading together promotes positive interaction between parent and child. Often the parent will gain confidence and skills while instilling the love of reading in the child.

For further information, please contact the council at (717) 567-7323 or by email to Debra Smith.