One of our grant's goals was to increase parent involvement and educational opportunities for parents. Educators have long recognized the important role parents play in their child's education. The Early Childhood Training Academy program was designed with parents in mind as partners in helping their children learn to become successful readers. What makes this an outstanding backpack program and separates it from similar programs is the before, during and after reading routine featured on the activity card that goes along with each book. Each card serves as a guide, with easy steps to help parents transfer their own reading skills directly to their children, by making their reading time together more meaningful and helping prepare the children to read on their own.
Research shows that children who are read to are more successful at becoming readers.
In giving feedback about the program, most parents expressed their appreciation for the help in learning how to make reading at home more focused. Parents and children alike felt the backpacks were fun, exciting and gave more meaning to the time families spent together. Inside each backpack is two or three books, activity cards, props, all of the necessary response materials, and sometimes a tape recorder and cassette recording of one or more of the included stories. Some books in the backpacks were selected because of their strength in developing phonological awareness or establishing a sense of belonging. Others were chosen because they are classics or rich literature.