Parents Engaging in Early Literacy (PEEL): Outcomes From a Shared Reading Program Implemented via Text Messaging

Purpose: Investigators delivered an asynchronous parent education for improving early literacy skills of typically developing preschoolers. The home-based shared book reading program, Parents Engaging in Early Literacy, consisted of strategies modeled via videos and sent as text messages. Method: Twenty parent–child dyads were randomly assigned to one of two 8-week programs targeting evidence-based early literacy strategies. One parent group was taught strategies to support print-related knowledge for learning to read, and the other learned skills to promote vocabulary and story knowledge underlying comprehension. Results: The asynchronous parent education resulted in more frequent parental use of taught strategies compared to nontaught strategies during program weeks. Parents who were taught to talk explicitly about print on the page or to segment words exhibited these behaviors, but parents in the alternate education group engaged children in skills such as predicting what would happen or identifying the story problem. Significant increases in some emergent literacy skills pre- to postprogram were revealed for both groups of children, with limited preliminary evidence of gains associated with the differential programs (i.e., the print-based group showed significant changes in book handling, letter and rhyme knowledge). Retention rate was 51%, and parents reported high satisfaction for video helpfulness as well as strategy ease and likability. Conclusions: Preliminary findings demonstrated that asynchronous delivery of parent education via text messaging can result in parent learning of shared book reading strategies and support children's school readiness. Limitations include a homogenous group of White, educated mothers. Next steps are to engage an underresourced community and enroll children with language disorders. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.32692137