The Family Literacy Program (FLP) aims to
improve the basic academic and literacy skills of economically and educationally
disadvantaged parents and their preschool-age children. Since last year’s
evaluation, Arizona’s Department of Education improved its administration of
the FLP and all FLP sites operated in compliance with statutory requirements and
program guidelines.
During the 1999-2000 school year, FLP adults
made significant gains in tests measuring English language proficiency but not
in tests measuring adult basic education. Overall, their gains were comparable
to those of participants in the federally funded Even Start family literacy
program. Adults in both programs improved their attitudes about parenting and
their parenting behaviors, but the Even Start program had a greater impact on
parenting attitudes than the FLP. Children in the FLP improved their
development of kindergarten readiness skills by 7 to 10 months, on average.
These results were comparable to those made by children in the Even Start
program and to those made by children in the state-funded Early Childhood Block
Grant program, a stand-alone preschool program.
