During National Literacy and Numeracy Week this month, The Smith Family highlighted the need for more initiatives to help parents actively engage in their children’s education.
Westminster mother-of-two Georgina Newton said she was involved with her children’s learning and wanted them to succeed so she signed up for the Let’s Count and Let’s Read sessions at the Child and Parent Centre, a State Government initiative.
“We came to some of the sessions of Let’s Count with my daughter and son and it was good because I had forgotten a lot of those things,” Ms Newton said.
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“It’s about helping them along while also doing games – they loved it.
“When you engage with them they want to succeed.”
The Smith Family WA general manager Lorna Woodley said students with parents who were engaged in their learning and development, no matter what their income or background, were more likely to do well at school and take up higher education.
“However there are thousands of Australian parents who are unsure about how to engage with their children in literacy and numeracy activities,” Ms Woodley said.
“This can be the case for parents who have had negative experiences at school, or have low levels of literacy and numeracy.
“It doesn’t mean they don’t have aspirations for their children’s success.”