ABSTRACT
Toward the end of the 20th century, the role of family in children’s literacy development and acquisition took on a new identity, referred to as family literacy. Although home and hearth have long been linked to nurturing literacy (e.g., reading to children), the concept of family literacy widened the lens on family life to include the many “ways parents, children and extended family members use literacy at home and in the community” (Morrow, 1995, p. 7). Simultaneously, the concept exploded the possibilities for research. Considerable interest developed in understanding the family’s contribution to its own reading and writing practices (adults and children) and in understanding the potential of programs designed to help families in improving their literacy education effectiveness.
