Arizona Family Literacy Program

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.