In addition, nearly one in four children under the age of six currently lives below the poverty line. These children often enter school two or more years behind their more advantaged peers in preliteracy skills, and many fall further and further behind each year. For families who need help bridging the reading gap, many libraries now offer family literacy programs. Many family literacy programs also provide pre-reading activities for young children, multigenerational literacy instruction, and other activities that encourage families to read and learn together. Children who are exposed to reading and other cultural experiences before entering school have a better chance at formal learning success.
Parents are a child's first teachers.
Through family literacy programs, the home becomes an environment where young minds can grow to their fullest potential, and where parents can play active roles in their children's intellectual development. These projects have helped hundreds of libraries all over the U.S. develop and implement family literacy programs to help their communities become more literate and productive. Family Literacy Project, created in 1989. The project also encourages the development of similar programs nationwide. The local programs funded by Bell Atlantic grants vary widely, but all are cooperative efforts joining libraries, Bell Atlantic employee volunteers, local literacy providers, and a variety of other community partners.