Some of important issues that can be used as instruments and indicators in literacy research program:

- Providing high-quality and affordable child care for children and families.

- Resolving social problems (e.g., poverty, crime, unemployment, immigration, domestic violence, etc.).

- Having basic needs of families met (e.g., health care, nutrition, social services, etc.).

- Fostering English-language acquisition for children and parents.

- Providing greater access for children and families to high quality, age-appropriate books and writing materials.

- Reading books with children.

- Creating better parental and caregiver understanding of what is developmentally appropriate for children.

- Increasing knowledge about the early skills children gain that lead to literacy.

- Enhancing children's overall development (social, emotional, physical, and intellectual).

- Developing a comprehensive training system for teachers (preschool and elementary) to learn about language and early literacy development.

- Fostering increased value on education from parents and communities.

- Increasing exposure to literacy activities (e.g., being read to, songs, nursery rhymes, drawing opportunities, etc.).

- Having parent and child liaisons in Spanish to assist with school and community issues.

- Providing low-cost family-oriented activities in the community.

- Creating a positive, stable home environment that helps foster learning and literacy development.

- Helping non-English-speaking parents understand and communicate effectively with children's teachers or caregivers.

- Promoting appropriate developmental expectations for children's early literacy development.

- Providing culturally appropriate learning opportunities for children who do not attend preschool and who might otherwise not be exposed to literacy activities.

- Providing opportunities for adult literacy education.

- Encouraging parents to model literacy behaviors for children.

- Increasing access to language and literacy experiences in the community (e.g., mobile preschool, story time, mobile libraries, etc.).

- Encouraging parents to value the importance of quality and accountability in their children's educations.

- Increasing community support (financial and social) for families and schools.

- Increasing awareness of cultural diversity, sensitivity, and strengths.

- Having family-friendly work policies.

- Increasing media literacy to help parents use media to promote high-quality learning experiences for children.

- Providing opportunities for enhancing general parenting skills.

- Helping parents find time and energy to spend high-quality time with their children.

- Encouraging greater collaboration among agencies.

- Developing methods that engage parents with their children and early educational services.

- Ensuring that parents and caregivers know and understand the prekindergarten standards.

- Increasing opportunities for families in which English is not the primary language to engage in literacy and school readiness activities.

- Having employers that understand and support literacy.

- Having a central referral source to aid families in locating services.

- Developing ways to get parents to educational programs, especially parents with lower literacy skills themselves.

- Developing educational programs to help parents with infants and toddlers get started early in fostering their children's literacy and language skills.

- Increasing parents' awareness of the importance of conversations with children.

- Increasing parents' understanding of what is involved when their children enter kindergarten (e.g., children's skills, vaccinations, regulations, etc.).

- Providing opportunities for parents to meet with other parents to develop networks of support.
literacy program
REFERENCE: Daniel J. Weigel & Sally S. Martin (ECRP Vol. 8 No.2)Identifying Key Early Literacy and School Readiness Issues: Exploring a Strategy for Assessing Community Needs

 

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