Background

There is a long research history which shows that exposure to print and pictures at an early age is linked to increased reading comprehension and enjoyment in later years (e.g. Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997); however there are strong cultural differences between families that result in very different family uses of books and other written texts (e.g. Drury, 2007). Such variation may create particular challenges for early intervention programmes aimed at encouraging literacy, raising questions in the many countries which have early intervention programmes at the forefront of policy and practice (e.g: C4EO, 2009; UNESCO, 2010; Hausstätter, 2012), since it is widely accepted across the range of early intervention programmes that learning activities should to be incorporated into the family’s daily life (e.g: Bernheimer & Keogh 1995; Edwards et al. 2003). Within early years the central, active role of parents and family has long been situated at the core of family-centred practice (Newman et al 2009) whilst the importance of assisting parents in their development as teachers or co-interventionists has been seen as a major part of EI programs (Mahoney & Wheeden, 2006; Bronfenbrenner 1974).  Examinations of families engaged within developmentally-based early intervention programmes have highlighted both the level of conflict and sense of failure frequently experienced by families engaged in provision (Bridle & Mann, 2000;  Rix & Paige-Smith, 2008; Parsons et al, 2009).

This paper reports on the experiences of seven families involved in a UK based early intervention learning and literacy programme designed for babies and children of 12-30 months, aimed at those families who for a wide variety of reasons are less likely to read with their children. It explores the participatory and inclusive nature of the programme and the tensions which may exist within such a top-down model, exploring its capacity to reflect the priorities of the family and build upon their everyday lives. 

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