Family Language and Literacy Practices

Young children start developing early literacy skills before they enter formal school. Family interactions and activities provide a primary context for the development of emergent literacy skills. At CFD, we examine the family practices that support the development of oral language skills that are foundational for children's early literacy learning, especially for Spanish-speaking and Spanish-English bilingual children. We ask questions such as: 

• What are the unique ways in which family members scaffold preschoolers' early narrative skills? 

• How do family members read to young children?

• In what ways are these practices culturally informed?

See R-Success as an example of this work.

See our latest publications here.