Family Learning
Family Learning at a Glance
For more than 35 years, NCFL has worked to develop family learning solutions that have the power to lift families out of poverty. We’re committed to creating opportunities for all, and that commitment guides us as we co-design family learning programming that considers the changing needs of children and parenting adults. NCFL family learning experiences are multigenerational, involving both children and parenting adults, and community-connected, moving learning beyond the classroom.
The Elements of Family Learning
Click on the buttons below to learn more about the three core elements of our family learning programming.
- Family Literacy
- Family Engagement
- Family Leadership
Family Literacy
Family literacy–in which multiple generations from the same family engage in learning together–has been at the heart of NCFL’s work for more than 35 years. Our family literacy programming provides a powerful approach to enhance the literacy skills and workforce readiness of adult learners, support children’s learning, and break cycles of poverty through educational solutions.
Learn More
Read the Brief
Read “Setting the Foundation for Learning Success: A Brief on Family Literacy” for an overview of NCFL’s family literacy model, the research that underpins it, and details on how family literacy is put into practice across the country.
Explore Family Literacy
Dive into NCFL’s four-component family literacy model, discover how NCFL supports schools across the country to implement family literacy, and explore the model’s impact on families furthest from opportunity.
Family Engagement
NCFL’s family engagement strategies–spanning birth through secondary education–build the capacity of parents and educators to work in partnership in support of a child’s education. This partnership links learning and development, creates leadership opportunities for families, and opens or expands channels of parental advocacy and support for learning within and beyond the school walls.
The benefits of this partnership are reciprocal: children experience higher attendance and improved learning outcomes; parents build social capital and enhance their leadership; and educators build trust with families.
Learn More
Read the Brief
Read “Families as Partners in Learning: Family Engagement” for an overview of NCFL’s family engagement effort, the research it’s founded on, and details on our family engagement programming.
Explore Play with Purpose
Play with Purpose (PWP) utilizes NCFL’s research-based curriculum, bringing together small groups of parenting adult and child pairs with a trained facilitator for one hour weekly playgroups over nine weeks. Playgroup curriculum is specifically designed to support children in the early childhood period (ages birth-3 or 3-5), providing parenting adults with the tools to support their child’s learning and development through play.
Explore P-12 District Family Engagement Model
There is a critical need for educator-facing professional learning and opportunities for families to be equal partners in realizing student success. NCFL offers a three- to five-year model that supports school districts in building dual-capacity and creating the conditions necessary for effective and sustainable family-school partnerships.
By partnering with NCFL, school and district leaders will design and implement a systemic and sustainable approach to:
- establishing authentic relationships with families
- partnering for student success
- developing asset-driven mindsets and beliefs about families, and
- creating the conditions for sustaining effective family engagement policies, practices, and culture
Let’s Learn Together Outside
Let’s Learn Together Outside (LLTO) is a four-week, research-based family engagement program designed to take place in natural environments. It was developed to support families with strategies and activities focused on the importance of nature-based play and early literacy skills for children ages 3 to 5. The program is designed to be implemented by local organizations; NCFL supports implementation by providing trained facilitators with program curricula and coaching.
Family Service Learning in Science
Family Service Learning in Science (FSLsci) is a secondary-level family engagement program that brings together students, parenting adults, and educators through a shared, immersive learning experience. Through inquiry, collaboration, and reflection, teams identify issues of significance in their communities, conduct research, and explore both individual and systemic solutions to those challenges.
Family Leadership
Family Leadership strategies and services aim to improve the leadership skills of parenting adults and support them in championing themselves, their families, and their communities. As their child’s first and most important teacher and educational advocate, parents need and deserve opportunities to expand their leadership skills and network with other families, school-based professionals, and local leaders to create positive change in their schools and communities.
NCFL’s family leadership models are underpinned by a six-step, research-based family service learning framework. As parents learn ways to enhance their leadership through this framework, they also strengthen skills desired in today’s workplace, including communication, collaboration, and decision-making.
Learn More
Read the Brief
Read “Activating Parent Voice and Agency: A Brief on Family Leadership” to learn how NCFL’s family leadership work helps parenting adults strengthen their leadership skills.
Explore Activate!
Activate! Local is a project-based leadership model in which parenting adults identify and address critical issues in their school or community. With training and ongoing support provided by NCFL, local facilitators lead cohort participants through an 8-month program that helps to evolve their leadership skills and identify pathways to communicate with and influence local decision-makers.