Literacy in the twenty-first century: children, families and policy

Family literacy refers to parents and their children using literacy together at home. They participate in literacy experiences in a natural way during their daily routines. Studies on family literacy show its impact on the children’s literacy development. For more than five decades, family literacy studies have demonstrated the importance of the parents’ involvement in promoting their children’s acquisition of literacy. Language and literacy theories have been generated based on family literacy research. Evidence supports that family literacy programmes are effective in the children’s literacy development. Studies were reviewed to examine how family literacy affects the young children’s literacy development. They showed that the children’s acquisition of literacy depends on a variety of strategies for working with families that are appropriate for the home environment. This review describes the (1) role of the federal government in promoting the families’ education, (2) implementation of parent education programmes in early childhood education, (3) US policies for family literacy, (4) family literacy programmes, and (5) family literacy intervention programmes.