Food For Thought: Family food routines and literacy in Latino kindergarteners

This study examined the feasibility of a new literacy program, Food For Thought, which aimed to help Latino parents learn how to utilize family food routines to foster their kindergarten children's language and literacy skills. Feasibility was assessed via: (1) recruitment, attendance, and retention rates; (2) associations between program attendance and children's language and literacy growth, and (3) parents' and school staff's perspectives about the program's strengths and barriers to participation and implementation. Participants were 68 low-income Latino parents and their kindergarten children, 3 school principals and 3 family liaisons. The observed recruitment, attendance and retention rates met or exceeded the expected rates. Program attendance was positively related to growth in children's vocabulary, but not decoding or early writing. A main strength of the program was community building and a main barrier to participation was parents' work schedules. Implications for future intervention programs working with Latino families are discussed.