Parents as Teachers Innovative Approaches to Literacy (PAT-IAL)
(2012–2014)
This project was funded by the US Department of Education Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) grant program. It evaluated the augmentation of Parents as Teachers — one of the nation’s largest home visiting programs — with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides monthly book distribution to young children. The project took place in nine states and served children aged 0–4 living within high-need local educational agencies (LEAs). The main goals of the project were to (1) increase parent-child literacy activities by delivering literacy-focused group connections, home visits, and connections with community libraries and literacy resources for parents, and (2) increase the oral language skills of four-year-old children. This project included a sub-study where parent educators introduced Dialogic Reading, an evidence-based reading strategy, to parents during their home visits. HighScope used a multiple baseline, single-case design to assess the impact on a mother’s reading practices and preschool-aged children’s oral language.
