What is the difference between an effective family literacy program and one that is not effective?  One of the main differences is the degree to which a program integrates its four components—adult education, early childhood education, parent time, and parent-child interaction time.  A program with a high degree of component integration has a better chance of being effective than one that does not integrate the components.

What does component integration mean?  It means that the messages being emphasized in one component are reinforced in the other components.  If a message such as "Reading to your children is important" is repeated across all of the program components, the message will be adopted more quickly and more deeply than if presented in only one component.

How can a program develop integration of its components?  There are two common strategies found in family literacy training:

1. The use of common activities.
2. The use of common themes.

A program may use an activity such as storybook reading as a vehicle for integrating the components.  For example, in the adult literacy class, adults could examine the story lines and vocabulary of the storybooks.  In parent time, they might discuss methods for presenting the books to young children.  In parent-child time, parents can read the books to their children.  In the early childhood class, the children could do an art or craft activity based on the book that the parent read.  Follow-up activities could be planned for the home.  The idea that storybook reading is an enjoyable and valuable experience would be reinforced across the components.

The use of a common theme across the program components is another way to promote component integration.  For example, a program may choose the Thanksgiving holiday as a theme. In the adult education class, adults could study the history of the holiday.  In parent time, they might plan a Thanksgiving celebration to be held with the other families in the program.  In the early childhood component, teachers could help children prepare a song or other activity for the dinner.  The parent-child component would be the Thanksgiving dinner itself. The idea that family rituals, such as celebrating holidays together, are enjoyable and valuable could be reinforced across the components.

The main point to remember is that common activities and common themes are instructional techniques.  Simply doing them does not automatically create component integration.  True integration occurs when those techniques are used to reinforce core messages about healthy families and the importance of literacy.  When the techniques lead families to adopt the core messages, then integration has occurred.

Citation:

Popp, R. J. (2001).  Component integration in family literacy programs.  PFES Brief, 110.  Retrieved (date) from the World Wide Web at http://www.bobpopp.com/.