Raising A Reader's mission is to foster healthy brain development, parent-child bonding, and early literacy skills by engaging parents in a routine of daily "book cuddling" with their children from birth to age five. It offers its program through organizations such as Head Start, and has documented participating children's superior book knowledge and story comprehension.
The U.S. Department of Education's "Helping Your Child" publication series offers downloadable PDF booklets and brochures in English and Spanish with practical lessons and activities to help preschool and elementary school children to master reading, understand the value of homework, and develop important skills and values.
The "Healthy Start, Grow Smart" series was an initiative of Laura and George W. Bush and sponsored by the Texas Department of Health. It offers downloadable Word and PDF documents in English and Spanish that offer parents advice for caring for babies from birth to 12 months of age.
The National Center for Family Literacy puts the family at the forefront of educational reform in the area of national literacy. They have produced a number of free resources focused on promoting reading to children from birth until age 8.
The Colorado Parent Information and Resource Center (CPIRC) at Clayton Early Learning provides information about the No Child Left Behind Law and support for school and family partnerships in Colorado that lead to increased student achievement. CPIRC also offers trainings for schools, parents, and districts, and some of these training resources such as PowerPoint presentations are available for free online.
Many links to Head Start publications on a variety of topics such as infant nutrition, certificates of appreciation for parents, children's mental health, and developmental assessments. Many of the publications are downloadable and translated into Spanish.
Weekend Edition Sunday April 8, 2007.
by Elizabeth Wynne Johnson
Federal law requires school districts to provide interpreters for parent-teacher conferences. But demand far outstrips the state and federal funds provided. How are schools adapting?
(audio file from NPR website)
A list of seven tips for involving bilingual families at school. (<i>Please note that the recommendation to enlist other bilingual children as translators refers to guiding new students at school and assisting with translating at programs, not at parent-teacher conferences.</i>)