Highlights guiding principles underlying intergenerational family literacy programs. Critics of family literacy programs argue that they often are based on a notion that families are too deficient in literacy practices to support effective child learning, or that little is known about effective interventions, or that they focus exclusively on empowering mothers, or that they are not attuned to political or social realities. A number of principles to guide the development and implementation of family literacy programs emerge from this critical perspective, including: (1) reinforcing parents’ knowledge and skills; (2) having learners actively contribute to their learning; (3) providing opportunities for adults and children to reflect on literacy practices in their daily lives; and (4) taking action to break down patterns of social isolation. Lessons learned from 3 exemplary family literacy programs in California, Massachusetts, and Minnesota underline the importance of involving classroom teachers as the key instructors; encouraging parents to join with their children in multiple uses of literacy, such as reading and writing oral histories, composing letters to friends and family, and doing homework; and using learning circles to facilitate learning that is relevant to daily life and goals.
