Giving children an even break: Removing the barriers to literacy: Children and parents working together

This paper is about intergenerational family literacy (IGFL) programs which are designed to benefit the children of parents in need of literacy education as well as the parents themselves. The paper reports results from a Department of Employment, Education and Training national study of these programs. Of particular importance is the issue of parents' self-esteem and the use of a student-centred approach in adult literacy classes. The issues of recruitment, control, networking and resources are also addressed. Studies are reported which indicate the considerable potential of these programs to benefit children and parents.