| Family Literacy Programs
The Mississippi Humanities Council supports two family-based reading programs for new adult readers and their elementary school age children and as part of the 30th anniversary celebration is developing a third component. Mississippi’s outrageously high illiteracy rate, the dearth of adequate funding available for remedying this problem, and the central role that ability to read plays in any programming or even basic understanding of the humanities led the council to develop reading programs that use the family unit to promote a love of reading, develop an interest in the public library, and, most important, emphasize families reading and talking about ideas together. What makes Prime Time Family Reading Time, Family Reading Bonds, and the forthcoming Hispanic Family Literacy Program unique is the emphasis on substantive content and exploration of ideas and concepts with parents and their children. These family literacy programs model good read-aloud skills and teach discussion techniques that stimulate interest and knowledge of the books’ content—fostering a lifelong love of learning through reading. The programs teach history, cultural values, literature, in enjoyable ways and relaxed settings and teach parents to ask open-ended questions that lead to meaningful conversations with their offspring. They assist families in moving from basic, functional reading to thoughtful literacy. In 1997 the Mississippi Humanities Council became the first state to partner with the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities in the Prime Time Family Reading Time Program. Through a grant from LEH, the Canton Public Library became the first site. Children 6-10 and their parents were recruited to participate for eight weeks, meeting with a storyteller and scholar at the library to discuss great works of children’s literature. A child care attendant was available to tend to pre-school children, a light meal was provided by local churches, businesses, and civic organizations, and transportation was made available. Two other locations participated under the original grant, and three more were supported in 1998 by The Phil Hardin Foundation. Recognizing that some families were intimidated by the library setting, MHC next developed Family Reading Bonds, a program modeled closely on Prime Time but made available in social service agencies, community centers, and other sites than public libraries where participants were comfortable. The same rigorous standards and insistence on content and discussion are maintained under Family Reading Bonds. As the program has grown, the number of non-English speaking families, notably the Spanish-speaking population, has increased. In June, 2002 the council approved instituting a dual-language, Spanish-English version of the reading program. A scholar and a storyteller are developing a curriculum and selecting texts that are bilingual, and pilot projects will be funded in three sites in 2004. |
