Project Rationale: Many things are known about what makes a good reader; such as access to a language rich environment in early childhood, exposure to a variety of print materials in the home and being read to early and often starting in infancy. Children from homes with lower socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds and/or lower parental education level are particularly impacted because the very things research shows they need most to become readers may be lacking in their environment. Children who are deaf or hard of hearing are even more vulnerable than other children, especially when the lower SES and parent education factors are present. Deaf and hard of hearing children need more exposure to sound, rhymes, the melodic reading of children’s stories, and the physical proximity to their parents’ voices that occur when being read to by a parent. Clarke New York’s Family Literacy Program seeks to support families enrolled in our Birth-3 and Preschool programs, enhancing their child’s development and outcomes and reducing the effect of hearing loss and SES factors through reading.
During an intervention session, the Clarke New York Family Literacy Program, will introduce one new book per month to each family enrolled in our Birth-3 and Preschool programs to enhance the child’s development and outcomes and reducing the effect of hearing loss and SES factors through readings. *Books provided to families written in their native language. At the beginning of the project and each month, the parent will respond to a pre-intervention assessment of read aloud skills, auditory strategies, and amount/type of time at home spent reading prior to receiving the book of the month. The parent and Interventionist will develop a strategy on which to focus as the goal for that month.
