Portrait of the Incarcerated Woman as a Reading Mother: Revealing the Perceived Impact of a Shared Reading Program

Abstract

This research explores the perceived impact of a shared reading program on incarcerated women and their families. Several former members of the Mother-Child Read Aloud program offered at Nova Institute for Women in Truro, Nova Scotia will be interviewed to determine what elements of the program, if any, strengthen family relationships, build family literacy, foster empowerment, and ease re-unification and re-entry into their communities. Insights gained from this research will assist policy-makers andpractitioners in determining how to co-create meaningful programs that produce positive outcomes for incarcerated women, their families, and our communities.