Empowering parents and caregivers as literacy champions to support foundational learning in low-resourced contexts

This policy brief advocates for the central role of parental and caregiver engagement in literacy interventions and empowering them with the necessary tools and resources to support children's reading development at home. Current literacy programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) predominantly focus on school-based interventions without giving much attention to the home environment as a domain for early language acquisition and development. The cultural wealth embedded in storytelling, traditional games, and local languages remains underutilised. Furthermore, economic and systemic barriers hinder parental involvement, perpetuating low literacy levels. Prioritising parent/caregiver-focused strategies can bridge these gaps and foster an inclusive approach to literacy development.