Butte County Office of Education

Family Support Paraprofessionals visit preschool-age children in their homes on a weekly basis for 15 – 18 weeks throughout the school year to deliver bilingual, 1:1 instruction in the development of vocabulary and bilingual language skills that the children will need to become successful readers. Students will learn preschool level mathematics including rote counting, one to one correspondence and shape recognition, science, health, music, physical development, and strategies to support their social and emotional development. Learning activities are interactive and hands-on and teachers provide specific feedback to nurture students' self-pride. Students complete weekly homework projects with their parents and receive reading books and math manipulatives to keep and use at home. Parents are encouraged to read with their children and to continue developing the home language. The teacher will provide strategies for the parent to support their child with language and literacy, math homework, and their child’s development with self-regulation, social interaction, and relationships.

The Family Biliteracy Program is a ten-session course, which brings parents and their preschool-age children together to participate in literacy and academic learning activities in preparation for kindergarten. Families will receive copies of the bilingual and bicultural books used in class along with a picture dictionary in the parents' primary language, with the goal of continuing to work on the skills learned in class. They will also receive a homework toolkit containing school supplies and a notepad for writing down notes during class. Students who participate in this program will increase preparedness for preschool and kindergarten. 

Summer academies will focus on developing both first and second language skills to prepare students for school. Students will learn concepts of print, alphabetic/word recognition, number sense, colors, shapes, name identification, and beginning name writing.  They will participate in activities to help them develop social emotional skills and problem solving. On the fourth day of class, parents will be invited to attend school with their children. The teacher will model and describe a dialogic reading strategy for parents to use at home when reading aloud to their children.