Every day, I see children in foster care, or recently adopted into new families, who are so desperately behind their grade-level standards for literacy it scares and angers me. While there are probably hundreds of reasons for the lack of reading skills in this population of children, one is particularly apparent in almost every case: family instability.

Taking advantage of the relative stability of foster care families to improve reading skills is, in my opinion, one of the best long-term gifts we can offer these children. When a child has problems at home, reading skills are quick to suffer but slow to recover. For a child who is already struggling to learn basic skills, even a brief disruption in literacy learning can result in an illiterate adult.

The National Research Council has found that if reading problems are addressed early enough, the numbers of teens and adults who struggle with reading can be drastically reduced. The foster child population was specifically mentioned in a 1998 report because this group has all the risk factors for reaching adulthood with low literacy levels.

Acting Locally
At the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, I instruct graduate students on how to teach reading. During many years of exposure to various at-risk populations, I have felt the need to develop customized programs for specific groups in my area. It is my belief that a national program is not nearly as effective as one developed specifically for a small, local population.

Two earlier efforts have helped me come up with some basic principles for creating an effective reading program.

In 1995 I founded the Breaking Barriers with Books program for the children of men incarcerated in local prisons. Fathers who volunteer for the program spend one-on-one reading time with their children after regularly scheduled visiting hours. The fathers, who attend special training sessions during their free time at the prison, learn to use children's books to keep the relationship with their kids alive and vibrant. The difference this program has made in the lives of both the children and their fathers is immeasurable.

In 1997, I started another local program, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Reading Program. This program teaches women in domestic violence shelters how to use family reading time to bring calm, structure, and positive interaction into an otherwise stressful situation. Mothers who have been in the shelter for a few days often help new moms and children get started with the program, and shelter workers say that the children especially treasure the reading time.

What About Foster Kids?
These programs have led me to develop some specific protocols for families with a newly placed foster child. The foster care placement is indefinite—it can last for days or years—so the activities should be started as soon as the child is placed.

Have lots of reading materials handy and available in the child's living areas—right from day one. You don't have to provide expensive classics or bestsellers—comic books, the sports section of the newspaper or age-appropriate magazines are all excellent at awakening a child's interest in reading. The number of different reading materials in your home will show that you place a high priority on reading, and the child will immediately realize that this is something important.

Take new children to the library as soon as possible after placement. While at the library take a quick tour and explain how to borrow a book, pointing out other activities such as story hours, playgroups, etc. Your library may also have special computers or reading clubs, make the child aware of all of these. It may take a few visits for a child to become familiar with everything your library has to offer.

This is very important: Stress the care and treatment of library books and make the child responsible for her own books. Don't pack up the books and return them for the child, and if a book is damaged go with the child to arrange for payment.

Making Reading Routine
The next step is to give the child some time to acclimate and understand the importance that reading has in this new environment. Once she becomes more comfortable, talk to her about what kinds of books you enjoyed at her age, and suggest some books that she might enjoy. Then, make frequent family reading times and the keeping of a reading log or journal part of her routine.

To establish a family reading time, pick a five- or 10-minute window of time that doesn't interfere with other activities such as a favorite TV show or meal. Announce in advance that reading is scheduled for this specific time and date, and encourage all the children in the family to pick a book in advance.

When the reading time is at hand, have all the children sit quietly and read or look at their books. As everyone becomes more familiar with reading, one child can stand up and briefly tell about his book, or an adult can show a picture book that is being read by a toddler.

To avoid the danger that a child will come to see reading time as a boring obligation, it's important to limit the initial reading sessions to around 5 minutes. Kids will instinctively want more of an activity that they enjoyed, but didn't get enough time to complete.

Getting Into Details
When a child seems comfortable focusing on his reading, feel free to discuss the book in some depth. Some specific questions might focus on how the child identified with a particular character, or if he ever had a similar experience. For younger readers, ask what the character's name was, or how the character felt in a specific scene.

If your child has a particular problem—such as shyness or a physical limitation—try to find books that feature a character with a similar problem.

The Arthur series by Marc Brown is a good one. Arthur really blossoms and his personality develops as a result of being good at something, whether it is training his new puppy or taking care of his baby sister. This also happens to young readers who identify with a character and learn problem solving or coping skills from the story.

The Importance of Journal-Keeping
No child is too young to keep a reading journal. For very young readers, you might provide a list of simple questions, and help the child make a check mark to indicate yes or no. Or children may simply draw pictures about what they read. For an older child, the journal can be a simple log of books read, with just the title and author of the book and a couple of sentences about what he liked or disliked, or it can include several pages of discussion.

When discussing book likes and dislikes, encourage specific answers. If a child says that she didn't finish the book because it was boring, neither one of you has learned anything about her reading tastes. Using examples like, "I need more adventure," or "There wasn't enough mystery," encourage her to think about what she might look for in future choices.

If the child has problems finding things to write in his reading journal, encourage him to write a letter to the author, or to someone who hasn't yet read the book. A special section in the journal where you and the child write notes back and forth about the book is also a favorite technique of mine.

One last tip for foster parents is to remember books when you think of gifts at holidays and birthdays. If a child expresses fondness for a particular book, think about purchasing that book as a present. This encourages children to think about book ownership and to continue reading—even after they leave your placement.

Reading is truly one of the great levelers in the world—it can introduce dreams and ideas like no other medium. Anyone can read. You need not own a fancy car or live on the right side of the tracks or have the money to buy a book. Our public libraries are filled with people from all walks of life. For children, to see the importance of reading and feel the sense of accomplishment upon finishing that first really great book can be a transforming experience.

Margaret Humadi Genisio, PhD, is Associate Professor of Literacy and Chancellor's Leadership Fellow at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. She has developed several videotapes that offer instruction on these reading methods, they are available at cost. Contact Dr. Genisio by e-mail to genisio@vaxa.cis.uwosh.edu or at 902-424-0859 if you are interested in purchasing any of the videos.

Sheri Wallace (e-mail sheri@sheriwallace.com) is a freelance writer based in Tucson, AZ. A former foster parent, she writes frequently about children's issues.