Families/Fathers Reading Every Day

Positive parenting practices play an essential role in children’s development and later life success. Many aspects of life affect parenting including parent characteristics (e.g., personality, cognitive abilities, health, age, and level of education); child characteristics (e.g., temperament, developmental progress, mental health); family economic resources; and family structure (e.g., single, two parent, grandparents raising grandchildren). 35% of children in Bell County are in single-parent households. (countyhealthrankings.org). Educating families about positive parenting practices and healthy family functioning is essential to improving overall child/family health and well-being. Helping the child learn to read and write are positive parenting practices and essential skills that lead to a child’s success in school and later life.

According to many experts, the single most important activity parents can do to help their children acquire essential literacy skills is to read aloud to them on a frequent basis. Children who are reading proficiently at an early age are more likely to perform better in school, and as a result, graduate from high school and/or pursue a post-secondary education.

It is well established that fathers play a critical role in their children’s development. Fathers who are consistently and positively involved in the daily routines of their children are more likely to raise children who are self-confident, get along well with their peers, and perform better academically than children who grow up without a positive father presence in their lives.

The Cooperative Extension Program responded to three requests for the Families/Fathers Reading Every Day (FRED) program in 2017. FRED is a family literacy program designed to increase parental involvement in children’s early literacy development, with a specific focus on fathers. During the four-week program, parents read to their children a minimum of 15 minutes/day for the first two weeks, and a minimum of 30 minutes/day for the last two weeks. They receive a packet that contains an introduction to the program, reading log, tips for reading aloud to their children, and recommended book lists. They also received a newsletter each week highlighting family reading tips and activities. Parents document the amount of time spent reading and the number of books read. The program begins with a kick-off event and ends with a celebration where they turn in reading logs and complete an exit survey.

The target audience for Cooperative Extension is always limited resource individuals. Fathers were especially encouraged to participate but all parents were invited.

• Willow Springs Elementary
  February 7th Kick-off (10 parents attended) March 7th Celebration (8 parents attended)
• Belton Early Childhood
  November 7th Kick-off (9 parents attended) December 12th Celebration (8 parents attended)
• Fort Hood Head Start
  November 9th Kick-off (10 parents attended) December 14th Celebration (8 parents attended)

The celebration for Belton Early Childhood and Fort Hood Head Start was a Book Tasting party. Parents and their children could go around the room “tasting” or reading a portion of certain books. They were given a menu in which they could rate each book to know if they wanted to check it out later from the library or buy it. Barnes and Nobles donated 5 winter books for the party.

The Family & Consumer Sciences program planning committee met three times this year to provide input and assistance to programming efforts. They connected me to potential guest speakers, publicized classes, and gave input on potential new audiences.

Out of 22 participants, 5 pre-and post-surveys were completed.

• Parents read 68 hours total with their children and read over 252 books together.
• All parents increased their reading with children two extra days per week.
• 100% (5 out of 5) of parents reported FRED got them reading to their child daily.
• 100% (5 out of 5) of parents reported FRED increased the time spent with their child.
• 80% (4 out of 5) of parents reported FRED led to improvements in their child’s vocabulary.
• 80% (4 out of 5) of parents reported FRED helped their child learn to read.
• 80% (4 out of 5) of parents reported FRED helped them become more involved in their child’s education.
• 60% (3 out of 5) of parents reported FRED improved their relationship with their child and increased their satisfaction level as a parent.

Parents were asked to share their experiences with the program, including any benefits that they or their children derived from participating in FRED.

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