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Exploring the Literacy Habits of Caregivers with Young Children Ages 11–25 Months Old in Lima, Peru: A Pilot Study for the LIBRE Project

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Abstract

Peruvian children’s sub-optimal results on international and national assessments underscore the need for enhanced investments in early childhood development (ECD) such as shared reading between caregivers and young children. We conducted a qualitative study with 13 mothers of young children ages 11–25 months old that: used focus groups to explore caregivers’ perspectives and experiences related to their daily activities, including reading and other ECD activities, with their young children; and used focus groups and video recordings to describe caregivers’ experiences reading with these children during an at-home opportunity for shared reading. The mothers described daily schedules that focused on taking care of their daily chores and making sure that their young children were busy as they carried out those tasks. The mothers reported that they did not designate dedicated time to spend with their children, and children were often without adult attention for lengthy periods of time. We found that after the 1-month at-home opportunity for shared reading, there was a definite positive shift in both mothers’ engagement with their children and their perspectives on reading. The caregivers improved their daily interactions with their children and observed important changes in their children thanks to reading. This study is encouraging and justifies a follow up randomized controlled trial to implement and evaluate the LIBRE shared reading program in Lima, Peru.

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Funding

This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health Research Training Grant D43TW009375 awarded to Kuskaya: An Interdisciplinary Training Program for Innovation in Global Health from the Fogarty International Center, United States National Institutes of Health (http://www.fic.nih.gov/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection, and analysis, decision to publish, or preparing the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kuskaya Program, Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Meghan K. Erkel

  2. Facultad de Salud Pública y Administración, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru

    Vicky F. Abregu del Pino & Angela M. Bayer

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  1. Meghan K. Erkel
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  2. Vicky F. Abregu del Pino
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  3. Angela M. Bayer
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Correspondence to Meghan K. Erkel.

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Erkel, M.K., Abregu del Pino, V.F. & Bayer, A.M. Exploring the Literacy Habits of Caregivers with Young Children Ages 11–25 Months Old in Lima, Peru: A Pilot Study for the LIBRE Project. Early Childhood Educ J 47, 731–741 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-019-00954-4

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