BACKGROUND The role of parents has long been thought to be centrally important to the academic achievement of their children.

The Every Child Matters green paper published by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in 2003 stated family learning as offering, opportunities to increase involvement in learning, to break down barriers between school and parents, and act as a link to targeted help and support (DfES, 2003). Parental involvement can assist a childs educational development. Parental involvement helps to improve childrens literacy skills and it also gives them a better understanding of how schools operate (Cozier, 2000). Schools play a significant role in getting parents and family members involved in students education. Teachers of young children are the most frequent users of parent involvement techniques (Epstein, 1987). Early childhood education programs with strong parent involvement components have amply demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach. These views are also expressed by the Ministry of Education. The Ministry states, the parent and home have a major responsibility for the welfare of the child and that the well being of the child can best be served by a strong partnership between community, parent and school (Curriculum Guide, 2006). Partnerships usually begin with a need. So families and teachers will become co-workers and colleagues in a joint effort to help develop the child. School, family, and community are important "spheres of influence" on children's development and that a child's educational development is enhanced when these three environments work collaboratively toward shared goals (Epstein, 1995). At elementary level parental involvement requires work, dedication and commitment from all parties involved. While some parents may feel that involvement stops at bringing the children to and from school, those parents who engross themselves in their childs education know that

they must go further. Using learning activities in the home helps promote reading and writing skills. Students at this age level need constant reinforcement of basic skills to promote higher learning. Although children spend the majority of their day at school learning to read and conceptualizing their thoughts with their teacher, learning should go beyond the classroom. A number of parents are unclear on how to use their home as an extension of the classroom. As a result of this, many will do nothing at all. Parents, who wish to become involved but are unsure as to how to proceed, should consult with their childs teacher. In most cases the teacher will be happy to provide parents with proper resources and tools and may even have programs available. Parental involvement in a childs education is vital for teaching and learning, and it is overlooked by some parents because they feel that they lack the knowledge to help. Teachers will need to plan ways that would encourage and strengthen parent involvement.

THE PURPOSE FOR THE STUDY The purpose of this study is to examine the importance of the parent-teacher relationship in improving reading. The study will help the teacher address the issues faced in the classroom and seek to influence directly, the social and institutional background in which they work. It will allow the researcher to reflect on their work, the progress of their students, and what all of it means in their teaching context.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The first year infant classroom is a print rich environment with the presence of many charts, books and flash-cards and other reading material. Various activity centers are also present. However, although this environment is conducive to literacy (the whole language approach), there is an observable trend that students are operating below the reading level required at this stage of schooling. As childrens first teachers, all parents are valuable partners in educating their children. The goal is to encourage parents to become involved at home through activities such as discussion about school, helping with homework, and reading with children. Also they can become involved at school through volunteering in the classroom and attending workshops.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS To what extent will a parental involvement program effectively improve the reading ability of students in a first year infant class?