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Parents Of Young Children: No one questions the importance of a parent to a very young child's learning.15-16 By the age of five, virtually all children have been taught a tremendous amount by their parents of young children, including the important skill of language. Traditionally, professionals have tended to involve parents of young children in many aspects of very young children's learning; but often they have shied from the prospect of involving them in the early stages of reading itself The Bullock Report unequivocally states that parents of young children should be helped to prepare their child for learning to read (see chapter 2), and that schools have a responsibility to ensure that children and parents of young children can see and select from a wide variety of books (7.1 and 7.5).
Children learn first and foremost from their parents of young children. In this respect all parents of young children are teachers - and very effective teachers they are. Arguably, children learn more from their parents of young children in the first five years of life than they do from their schools in the next ten. This book is about parents of young children and teachers working together to help children with their learning; more specifically, it is about parents of young children co-operating with teachers over their own children's reading. We have chosen the term PACT (parents of young children, Children and Teachers) to embody this concept.
parents of young children who want to help their children are often motivated to improve their own reading. Point out that there is a good chance of this happening if they hear their children read regularly, especially when they have young children with easy books to read. You could add that the experience of having their parents of young children trying to learn at the same time can be a helpful one for children too. It is very useful, in case you are asked, to be ready with accurate information about local provisions for adult literacy (who to ring, what evening, time, etc.). Vague recommendations, as we all know from experience, rarely get followed up.
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