Family literacy is often associated with activities like a parent reading a bedtime story to their child. But children begin developing literacy skills long before they can read. It happens through everyday conversations, play and activities that invite interaction and help build vocabulary, communication and confidence. Researchers and educators say fathers play an important role in that development.
Research involving more than 5,000 U.S. families found that when fathers regularly took part in literacy activities like reading, storytelling and singing with their children, those children entered preschool with stronger reading, math and social-emotional skills.
That research is reflected in programs like Northside ISD's Even Start, where fathers are encouraged to build literacy through shared experiences with their children.
On a recent Saturday morning, while many families were still easing into the weekend, fathers and their children gathered at the Northside Activity Center for a superhero-themed family literacy event.
The dads and kids showed up — and arrived in all kinds of outfits — from T-shirts and sneakers to their Sunday best. The variety reflected the families themselves: different backgrounds, different routines, but the same decision to spend the day together. Some dads and kids even wore matching shirts or superhero costumes.
They were greeted by volunteers, including Sheryl Boyd, a Northside ISD social worker who helped build excitement as families arrived.
She coaxed the shyest and most reserved kids to smile, struck up conversations and helped parents who arrived hesitant or unsure feel at home.
As she guided them into position behind a giant, colorful photo board, fathers and children laughed and leaned into the moment — becoming a team of caped crusaders for the camera.
Inside the activity center, fathers and children sat in a large room, decked out in the superhero motif. Breakfast was the first item on the agenda before they were instructed on the rundown of the day's activities. Fathers and kids munched on breakfast tacos while upbeat music played. Some dads carried stacks of breakfast tacos and juice boxes in one arm while corralling two or three children, as volunteers helped guide families to their tables.
The event was built around a simple idea: Parents are a child's first teachers, and some of the most important lessons happen long before a child enters a classroom. Programs like Even Start help families build language and literacy through everyday interactions — and encourage fathers to be active partners in that learning.
The day is all about dads, or, more accurately, the people who fill that role. Brenda Faz-Villarreal, coordinator of Northside ISD's Even Start Family Literacy Program, says they use the term broadly.
"I know sometimes it's, you know, a divorce situation or they don't have a dad. But then you bring in a grandfather, you bring in, you know, a family member. They need that positive male role model in their life," said Faz-Villarreal.
Programs like Even Start are built on research that shows that when families engage in learning together, children benefit from those everyday interactions. And this day is organized to give the dads and children opportunities to do just that.
"They're learning different skills, but at the same time, they're having fun," said Faz-Villarreal. "They just don't know that they're learning something."
The bigger goal is to help fathers see that everyday moments and time spent together can support language development and literacy skills.
"We have Ms. Anastasia from the Twig Shop," said Faz-Villarreal. "She's reading a book because … it's very important for dads and kids to read together."
Ms. Anastasia is animated as she reads to the group. The dads and children laugh, calling out the superhero alphabet together. It's a small moment, but it captures what family literacy is all about: learning through connection.
"Family literacy is really about reading in the home," said Kimberly Ridgley, the assistant superintendent for Whole Child Development at Northside ISD.
But even activities that don't involve books and reading can lead to parents — in this case, dads — contributing to their children's learning. While reading together is important, educators say literacy is also about talking, asking questions and encouraging children to explain their ideas.
On this day, they participate in several activities, including decorating paper airplanes, playing games, creating crafts and spending time together — giving fathers opportunities to connect with their children while turning everyday interactions into moments that build language and literacy skills.
"We know research shows that if children have more vocabulary, they do better academically," said Ridgley. "And so, in this particular event, really putting dads and children together to talk about problem-solving things … like puzzles."
Down the hall, fathers and children work side-by-side, using bright markers to decorate paper airplanes. Some write names on the wings. Others create designs and patterns. Fathers and children talk and laugh the whole time.
One father, Ram Ramirez, and his 10-year-old daughter, Karisma, wear matching Dallas Cowboys-inspired T-shirts they've made especially for the event. Across the back is their team name: "Team Ramirez."
"This is the first time I'm doing this with her," said Ramirez. "I'm trying to be a good parent."
Ramirez said he wanted to make the day special for his daughter. He made sure he got the time off from work to be available on this particular Saturday.
"It's hard for me because I'm a truck driver. I have to do it all for two weeks in advance," he said.
For Ramirez, spending the day with his daughter meant planning around work. The program can't erase those barriers for parents, but it creates a space where fathers can prioritize time with their children.
But fathers have not always been included in conversations about early childhood learning.
That is one reason programs like Even Start intentionally invite fathers into the classroom and into spaces where they can focus on engaging meaningfully with their children.
The goal is not to replace mothers' involvement, but to expand the circle of adults supporting a child's learning.
Most family literacy efforts have traditionally focused more on mothers, but research shows fathers also play an important role in children's language development.
Becky Huang is a professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University and a faculty associate at the Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy. She says programs that intentionally involve fathers are aligned with what research shows about children's language development.
"I'm really glad to see that there are efforts or programs that involve families like those family literacy programs involving the fathers, too, because traditionally I think we think of caregivers as more like females or mothers, but positive engagement from fathers supports children's language development."
Even a basic game gives fathers and children a chance to talk, work together and practice the everyday interactions that support learning.
"And so, in that example of, like, bingo, the child can take the lead, or the dad can take the lead," said Ridgley. " And so, it's really about taking turns, too."
In one session, there's a game of "Superhero Bingo." Players search bingo cards for superhero images — capes, masks, shields and lightning bolts. The game turns a simple activity into a chance for fathers and children to build vocabulary, practice listening and learn together.
"Gloves. Gloves. Gloves. Come on. Come on," says 8-year-old Dominic. "Come on. We need two more. We need two more. I really want Spider-Man."
His dad, Devin Dillard, said the activities are helpful for dads.
"When you see how many fathers put in the effort and actually show up — and even the grandpas and the uncles. … I see the support and the love that it shows."
The game continues and then a voice rings out.
"We got Hulk? Bingo! Bingo! Bingo! Bingo!" Dominic and his dad won the bingo game.
But the bigger win was the time they spent together — building the connection and conversations that are at the heart of family literacy.
This story is part of a Texas Public Radio series examining family literacy in San Antonio. Grounded in the experiences of families, educators and local organizations, the reporting examines what it takes to expand opportunity across generations.
Support for the series comes from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems.
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