What are the reasons for the programme's success and wider implementation?
- Meets a real need felt by parents and teachers to support children's reading, especially those who are struggling
- Programme has a specific focus i.e. Reading (recognised by all parents as being important), and specific ways of helping at home
- Voluntary involvement (over 25+ years) of keen, capable teachers who work sensitively with parents, children and other teachers
- Non-threatening, enjoyable, activity-based workshops
- Works across a range of
- socio-economic and ethnic groups (including immersion settings and parents for whom English is a second language)
- child and parental literacy levels
- age levels (5-15 year olds)
- contexts (e.g. parents/whanau helping at home, parents/adult volunteers helping at school)
- Low cost for schools, no cost for parents
- Time commitment relatively low
- for parents: 1hr 15mins per workshop, 4 workshops over 7 weeks, plus 15mins 4 or 5 times a week helping child(ren) at home
- for Workshop Leaders: some time required initially, but less time once familiar with programme
- Support and involvement of principals, teachers, Resource Teachers, literacy educators (including adult literacy), librarians, Reading Associations and other professional associations
- Content and processes (including setting up) of programme have sound theoretical and research base in
- literacy education
- school/home partnerships
- adult education