Clarke New York Family Literacy Program

A funded initiative aimed at supporting families with deaf and hard of hearing children through enhanced literacy exposure and family engagement. The program has been awarded as part of CHI's Non-Medical Research grants (2019 award recipient).

Project Rationale

Research shows that effective readers need:

• Access to language-rich environment in early childhood
• Exposure to variety of print materials in the home
• Being read to early and often starting in infancy

Children from lower socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds and/or lower parental education levels are particularly impacted. Deaf and hard of hearing children are even more vulnerable, especially when combined with lower SES and parental education factors.

Target Population

• Families enrolled in Birth-3 programs
• Families enrolled in Preschool programs
• Deaf and hard of hearing children
• Families in tri-state area

Program Activities

• Monthly Book Distribution: One new book per month introduced to each participating family
• Language Support: Books provided in families' native languages
• Pre-intervention Assessment: Monthly assessment of read aloud skills, auditory strategies, and home reading practices
• Goal-Setting: Parent and Interventionist develop focused strategy for each month
• Focus Areas: Sound exposure, rhyme awareness, melodic reading, physical proximity during reading time

Geographic Scope

• New York
• New Jersey
• Connecticut

Goals

• Enhance child's development and outcomes
• Reduce effects of hearing loss
• Reduce effects of SES factors through reading

Contact Information

• Phone: 212-257-6138
• Address: 575 8th Avenue, Suite 1201, New York, NY 10018