The power of parents

This research will provide evidence that can inform initiatives targeting parents and caregivers in poor rural environments on what works to support young children’s literacy and language acquisition skills.

The following are objectives underpinning our project:

• Conduct extensive review and analysis of the role of parents and caregivers in supporting the literacy of children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Identify and compile a comprehensive database of existing initiatives of parents/caregivers supporting children’s language and literacy skills outside of school and their effectiveness.
• Provide a comprehensive overview of key academic actors, including research centers and researchers, as well as practitioners such as NGOs, funders, and other entities involved in parent and caregiver engagement programs for language development and literacy acquisition in West Africa.
• Support wider research-impact through knowledge-exchange, by providing a detailed account of both the approach taken and the learnings drawn from these examples.

The research questions to be examined are:

• What quality and quantity of evidence exists on parental and caregiver engagement programs to deliver improvements in language development and literacy acquisition of children aged 3-10 outside school?
• What is the level of effectiveness of government policy and other funders activities in implementing parent and caregiver engagement programs?
• What is the role of parents, caregivers, and their community networks in supporting the literacy and language development of children aged 3-10?
• What activities can / do parents do, that have been shown to spark children’s interest in reading and, in turn, their literacy acquisition?