Parent-child time and native language literacy training are conducted weekly for about 30 minutes each. At some sites, child care substitutes for preschool activities. The adult ESL curriculum focuses on school and family issues such as parent teacher meetings, child development, and homework help for children. At the lower levels of English proficiency, the staff also deal with survival subjects. To facilitate ESL instruction, parents are assigned to one of three classes according to their level of English proficiency.
Instructors use materials from adult literacy workbooks as well as supplemental grammar lessons.
In each class, there are weekly units on native language literacy, which use computers and locally developed materials. Instructors also use Hmong to explain difficult concepts or help the more recently arrived participants. As a result, cross-cultural communication has been enhanced, the project is culturally sensitive, and Hmong and Vietnamese can be used to some extent during adult ESL instruction. The Lao Family project does not evaluate effects on the children of participants.