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When Suzanne Fray, Hunter Elementary School’s social worker, heard about the MotherRead program, she knew immediately it would benefit her school.

“We want to increase parent involvement around their children’s education, and research indicates that raising the literacy of parents in turn has a positive effect on student achievement,” Fray said. “This program promotes the importance and joy of reading to and with your children.”

The school sought and received a grant to initiate the program for mothers and fathers, as well as their children, earlier this year.

Twenty-one parents participated in a 14-week reading class and recently graduated from the program. They also each received a $50 incentive check.

Each week, participating families received a free dinner and free child care while they learned about the importance of reading and enjoying books with their children.

Both parents and children read and discussed the same book during each session, and each family took a book with them each week to complete a homework assignment and add to their home library. The group read 14 books together. All parents took a literacy test before and after the course, and 58 percent of the parents increased a functional literacy level, with two participants increasing two levels.
 

“This program has proven to increase participants’ reading levels and English proficiency,” she said.

Hunter Elementary’s student population is 47 percent Hispanic, and 90 percent of the parents who took part in the program were Spanish speakers or spoke mostly Spanish with some English, Fray said.

“Adult literacy is critically important to the growth of children developmentally and academically,” she said. “Parents feel very empowered, more connected with their child’s school, more confident with reading and more motivated to spend time reading with their child.”

The program was so successful that the school has already begun plans to offer the class again in February.

“Students saw their parents learning, reading and enjoying both,” Fray said. “What role models!”

Contact Jennifer Atkins Brown at 574-5582 or jennifer.brown @news-record.com