Improving the Implementation of an Early Literacy Program by Child Health Nurses Through Addressing Local Training and Cultural Needs
Lee-anne Hewer
Formerly Western Australian Country Health Service - Midwest Murchison region, Geraldton WA
David Whyatt
Combined Universities Centre for Rural Health, University of Western Australia, Geraldton WA
PP: 111
Abstract
This study evaluates the implementation of an early literacy program by child health nurses (CHNs) in Geraldton and the Midwest regions of Western Australia. Children's early preschool exposure to reading is an important step in developing literacy skills in later schooling.
The program aims to improve early literacy development by supplying parents with an appropriate book and information on reading to children at the child's seven-to-nine months of age health check. This study highlights the potential role of CHNs in encouraging early literacy in regional communities. However, a barrier to the successful implementation of the program was found to be its dependence on attendance at a predetermined health check. This was especially so for the Aboriginal population, which had a significantly lower attendance rate. Dependence on personal and professional experience amongst CHNs also resulted in sub-optimal implementation of the program.
Recommendations to broaden the scope of the intervention, in timing and location, and to develop appropriate training for CHNs are discussed. It is shown that the implementation of such evidence-based programs must address local community and service provider issues to reach their full potential
Keywords
child health nurse, early literacy, Aboriginal, reading promotion, child development, parent-child relations
References
Bennett KK, Weigel DJ and Martin SS (2002) Children's acquisition of early literacy skills: examining family contributions. Early Childhood Research Quarterly 17: 295-317.
Brough M, Bond C and Hunt J (2004) Strong in the city: towards a strength-based approach in Indigenous health promotion. Health Promotion Journal of Australia 15(3): 215-220.
Christian K, Morrison F J and Bryant FB (1998) Predicting kindergarten academic skills: interactions among child care, maternal education and family literacy environments. Early Childhood Research Quarterly 13(3): 501-521.
Dunn M (1999) Tracking literacy development in an Aboriginal community: Summary of a research project. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy 22(2): 103.
Dunn M (2001) Aboriginal literacy: Reading the tracks. The Reading Teacher 54(7): 678.
Evans MA, Shaw D and Bell M (2000) Home literacy activities and their influence on early literacy skills. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology 54(2): 65-75.
Fagerskiold A, Timpka T and Ek A-C (2003) The view of the child health nurse among mothers. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences 17: 160-168.
Golova N, Alario AJ, Vivier PM, Rodriguez M and High PC (1999) Literacy promotion for Hispanic families in a primary care setting: A randomized, controlled trial. Pediatrics 103(5): 993-997.
Hall E (2001) Babies, books and 'impact': problems and possibilities in the evaluation of a Bookstart project. Educational Review 53(1): 57-64.
Hardman M and Jones L (1999) Sharing books with babies: evaluation of an early literacy intervention. Educational Review 51(3): 221-229.
High PC, La Gasse L, Becker S, Ahlgren I and Gardner A (2000) Literacy promotion in primary care pediatrics: can we make a difference? Pediatrics 105: 927-934.
Hoff-Ginsberg E (1991) Mother-child conversation in different social classes and communicative settings. Child Development 62(4): 782-796.
Klass P (2002) Pediatrics by the book: pediatricians and literacy promotion. Pediatrics 110(5): 989-995.
Klass PE, Needlman R and Zuckerman B (2003) The developing brain and early learning: the United States' reach out and read model. Archives of Disease in Childhood 88(8): 651.
McCain MN and Mustard JF (1999) Reversing the real brain drain. Early years study. Final report. Toronto: The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.
Miles MB and Huberman AM (1994) Qualitative data analysis: and expanded sourcebook. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications
Mendelsohn AL, Mogilner LN, Dreyer BP, Forman JA, Weinstein SC, Broderick M, Cheng KJ, Magloire T, Moore T and Napier C (2001) The impact of a clinic-based literacy intervention on language development in inner-city preschool children. Pediatrics 107(1): 130-134.
Moore M and Wade B (2003) Bookstart: a qualitative evaluation. Educational Review 55(1): 3-13.
Wade B and Moore M (1998) An Early Start with Books: literacy and mathematical evidence from a longitudinal study. Educational Review 50(2): 135-145.
eContent Home
