It makes sense to think of families as educational units. Mothers' educational levels are a powerful predictor of children's academic achievement. Parents' educational levels are also strongly related to children's physical health and persistence in school. When parents are involved in their children's learning, the children do more and better in school. Family literacy programs have the potential to benefit children.
Parents can also benefit from family literacy programs.
Moreover, positive growth in reading and writing and even psychological and emotional benefits have been documented. Parents report feeling closer to their children, for example, and say that they are spending more time together as families. Because of this potential, many groups have recently initiated family literacy programs. This is unfortunate, since many problems are typical and can be solved during planning, thus ensuring a smoother beginning and a more enduring program. These federally funded family literacy programs are located in urban, suburban, small city, and rural areas.