• Lt Dr.S. Nithya

  Author

Focusing on parents’ involvement in children’s early literacy acquisition, especially children in economically disadvantaged families, this research paper analyses parents’ roles in early literacy development. Literacy skills gained in early childhood become a predictor of academic success. Children in economically disadvantaged families become further disadvantaged in early literacy development because of a combination of poor resources, poor parental education, and an unstable economy. By recognizing these challenges, the research looks at the positive contribution of parental engagement in practices of shared reading, storytelling, and educational interactions to their home’s literacy development. These practices include the development of vocabulary, the awareness of phonemic structures in speech, and the development of the readiness to start reading in children 3-6 years of age. Using a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods and the data collection techniques of interviews and assessments, the research of this paper attempts to study the tasks and challenges of early literacy development for children in socioeconomically disadvantaged families. The study shows a positive statistical correlation between greater parental engagement and children’s literacy skills. Children in high parental engagement families have a mean literacy of 80, while children in low parental engagement families score a mean of 45. Community-based programs to help parents develop meaningful home literacy practices with their children are needed. The research highlights the need for programs and policies to create supportive environments for families with children to help affected parents create home literacy practices that are meaningful and effective. Strengthening parental engagement can directly impact outcomes literacy achievement gaps and provide educational equity to all children. Reinforcing literacy activities at home for children creates a building block for academic and career success.

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