Vision for Family Literacy Services
Family Literacy Services contribute to strong communities and families. An open and equitable program culture welcomes families and diverse community stakeholders, and celebrates curiosity, inquiry, and joyful discovery.
Services are based on proven practices. They build on communities’ and families’ strengths, complement families’ home literacy practices, and align with learners’ aspirations. Family Literacy Services connect and engage families with programming, resources, and each other so adults can learn new things to use in family life. Staff embed reflective practices in all aspects of service to improve programming and to demonstrate the value that family literacy delivers to families and the community.
Family Literacy Services align with all other California Library Literacy Services Program Essentials.
Family Literacy Evaluation Framework
The Family Literacy Services evaluation framework is intended to:
- help programs capture their progress toward our commonly-held vision for Family Literacy Services,
- help programs communicate their success and tell their stories in terms of the vision for Family Literacy Services, and
- support programs in planning and implementing Family Literacy Services for adults with low literacy skills and their families.
The evaluation framework’s tools and processes yield useful information, align with existing timeframes and reporting processes, and correspond to the Family Literacy Services vision. The framework comprises:
- Family Outcomes from the Roles and Goals Framework collected during regular Roles and Goals evaluation conversations
- Family Literacy Questions asked during regular Roles and Goals evaluation conversations
- Reflection Forms used with all adults who participate in Family Literacy Services programming
- An Impact Story about one family literacy adult learner each year, based on an interview with that learner
- Family Literacy Services questions on the California Library Literacy Services Annual Report
1. Family Outcomes
For staff to ask adults who are enrolled in your California Library Literacy Services program and who have engaged in family literacy programming.
During your program’s Roles and Goals evaluation and goal re-setting conversations, collect the learner’s Roles and Goals Outcomes as you normally would. Report the goals they set, make progress toward, and achieve both in the Family Literacy Services section of the Final Report as well as in the general Roles and Goals section of the Final Report.
2. Family Literacy Questions
For staff to ask adults who are enrolled in your California Library Literacy Services program and who have engaged in family literacy programming.
Ask the Family Literacy Questions to family literacy participants during your program’s Roles and Goals evaluation and goal re-setting conversations. The Family Literacy Questions are available for download below.
Please note: You only need to ask adult learners these questions once a year to include in the California Library Literacy Services Annual Report.
3. Reflection Forms
For staff to collect from all adults who take part in family literacy programming (those who are enrolled in your California Library Literacy Services tutoring program and others who are eligible to be enrolled, but have not yet chosen to enroll).
After every focused Family Literacy Services program you offer inside or outside the library, (workshops, storytimes, crafts projects, etc.,) gather reflections from all adult participants. The Reflection Forms are available for download below.
Some ideas programs might use to gather learners’ reflections include:
- Ask learners to stick post-it notes on the wall in a “yes” or “no” column.
- Record learners’ oral responses on a flip chart.
- Complete a Reflection Form with each adult learner.
- Ask adult learners to complete forms independently as they can.
- Gather the information orally from each adult or as a group process.
Experiment with the best way to gather the information in your setting after every Family Literacy Services program.
4. Impact Story
For staff to write about one participating adult learner each year.
Write an Impact Story about one adult learner each year that illustrates how Family Literacy Services has made a difference in the learner’s life. Impact Story samples, interview guidelines, questions, and writing prompts are available for download below.
Some suggestions for writing an Impact Story include:
- Keep it short and simple. 200 – 300 words are plenty.
- Start with a brief biographical sketch of the adult learner. You might include the learner’s first name, age, self-identified ethnicity, self-identified gender, where they’re from, where they live, when and why they joined your program, etc. You might also include the first names, ages, and relationships (son, mother, grandchild, etc.) of the learner’s family members(s) who join them in Family Literacy Services.
- A learner’s voice makes an Impact Story interesting. Use lots of quotation marks to capture the learner talking about themself, their family, successes, challenges, and the impact Family Literacy Services has had on their life outside the program.
- You can use your Impact Story as an evaluation tool for your report to the State Library, and for other purposes: program publicity, staff development, tutor training, newsletters, grant applications, and the list goes on.
5. California Library Literacy Services Annual Report
For all adults and children who take part in family literacy programming (including adults who are enrolled in your California Library Literacy Services tutoring program and others who are eligible to be enrolled, but have not yet chosen to enroll).
Coming soon: a link to the 2019-2020 Final Report form.
Family Literacy Evaluation Tools
Family Outcomes from the Roles and Goals Framework
Family Literacy Questions to annually ask adult learners who are enrolled in your California Library Literacy Services program and who have engaged in family literacy programming.
Reflection Form to use at all Family Literacy Services programming with all participating adults.
Coming soon: a link to instructions for completing the 2019-2020 Final Report form.
Impact Story Interview Guidelines and Questions
Family Literacy Evaluation Resources
An information session introducing the new family literacy services implementation and evaluation framework. Presented by Amy Prevedel and Natalie Cole on June 5, 2020. (54:24)