Attracting adults into literacy through their children:

1. Attracting adults into literacy through their children: Family learning & literacy in schools in Manukau Alison Sutton, Project leader, Families in Schools, COMET Queensland Adult Literacy Conference November 5, 2009, Brisbane

2. Manukau City Council owned organisation • Education advocacy & leadership • Responds to community issues • Develops & pilots initiatives • Community intermediary

3. Large numbers of urban Maori • Largest Pasifika city in the world • Ethnically diverse, low socio-economic status

4. Schools main contact points • Low decile communities • Schools not always able to engage with families • Literacy interventions with children not getting enough results

5. Low literacy often intergenerational • Improve skills of parent & improve family wellbeing • Adults with low skills & limited tertiary experience are interested in the education of their children, but don’t know how to help • ‘Double duty dollars’ • Parents more effective with their children when their own learning needs met

7. Sufficient intensity & duration to enable families to change • Skills that led to further study or real work • Partnerships between education sectors • Clear outcomes for all partners • Coordination between partners

8. 2002-2009

10. learn

11. Parents of children in school/ ECE centre • Free • Leads to tertiary qualification & labour market • Small numbers

13. Woven through adult education curriculum • Health issues, behaviour management, stress, building relationships, managing finances • Situates learning in real-life context

15. Parents and Child Together Time (PACTT)

16. A short, daily one-to-one time for a parent and PACTT child • In ECE or school class • Parent prepares for PACTT & reviews in adult education class • Keeps learning journal

17. Adults & nominated PACTT children share a planned literacy experience every month.

18. Once a term • Whole family • Often organised by the students • Literacy focus - a visit by a storyteller, writer or illustrator, a concert or a quiz • May bring in 40 – 50 family members • Involves food

21. MFLP evidence base • Formative evaluation tracking original design and development (Benseman, 2002) • Process evaluation of the sites and the 2 year pilot (Benseman, 2003 & 2004) • Summative evaluation (Benseman & Sutton, 2005) • Economic value of MFLP (PWC, 2006) • Policy papers on partnership & inter-sector collaboration

22. A qualification • A path to higher education and work • Better literacy & numeracy • Increased confidence as learners “I want a better life. I get $15,000 on the benefit but I’ll get more than $40,000 when I start teaching. Why wouldn’t I want that?

23. I’m more patient with my kids, I respect them more and listen to them. It’s calmed me down as a parent. I used to yell a lot... We still argue, but we laugh a lot too. It wasn’t just about literacy. I learned about parenting skills and how to look after my family’s health.

24. Smoother transitions from early childhood to school • Reduced truancy & improved attendance “MFLP has helped me to understand her learning and how I can help her. She’s reading better now – she’s more confident.”

26. “MFLP students and their family have a much stronger relationship with the school and their children’s learning” Principal • Atmosphere in schools & ECE change positively • Parents more involved in school and ECE activities • “First in family” – role models

27. Enhances parents knowledge & skills about healthy food and exercise • Introduced to community initiatives e.g. Diabetes, Breast Cancer screening, well child services • Improved links to key social services & community agencies - Work & Income, budgeting • Parents develop goals for future, including greater financial literacy

29. Data collected on participants’ situations before and after MFLP, covering changes in: • Income • Education/study • Aspirations • Home life • Reliance on government agencies. • Findings were for every $1 invested, over $9 return to government • Led to funding for a further 80 families.

30. Outputs Outcomes Education / Literacy Skills Increased Incomes (Child & Parent) Decreased Welfare Costs Parenting Skills Decreased Crime/Domestic Violence Costs Decreased Education Costs Positive Relationship

31. A new model in 2010

32. New tertiary partner required • Complexity of model • Funding stream not sustainable • Want to streamlined, so can scale up for more sites & different settings (e.g. churches, Maori & Pasifika groups?) • Want to clarify partnership roles • Emphasise learning not just literacy

33. Adults get a qualification & build work & study skills • Families learn together • Literacy and numeracy are enhanced across the family • The health and wellbeing of families is integral to the programme • Families create connections to their communities

34. Certificate in Family Learning & Child Development • Academic skills in parent/family education context • Embedded literacy, language and numeracy • PACTT built in as observation/reflection process • Fewer hours per week (4 mornings) x 32 weeks • Lower academic level • Explicit focus on work experience

35. Curriculum starts to change the model Adult education  IN Family Learning & Child Development That incorporates PACTT Child’s education

36. Greater financial literacy and numeracy enhances employment opportunities • Specific strategies needed to encourage learners to persist • Specific adult literacy, language and numeracy progressions & national assessment tool

37. Is this applicable in Australia? In Queensland?

38. Family Literacy - a vertical programme in a horizontal system Family Literacy Education Policies & funding streams Tertiary Compulsory schooling Early Childhood Education Social/ employment/ family-related policies

39. Education sectors to be able to collaborate & Cross agency funding • Lead agency/community organisation • Appropriate policies • Adults to be enrolled as tertiary students on school site • Framework that enables collaboration & whole-of-family intervention • Willingness to adapt to meet structures & regulations of other sectors • Dedicated classrooms with kitchen facilities • Teachers committed to family learning & literacy

40. All reports and research about the Manukau Family Literacy Programme are available on www.comet.org.nz