Rosalie's Neighborhood

A Health Literacy Series for Parents with Young Children

National Health & Education Consortium
an initiative of the Institute for Educational Leadership
Rosalie's Neighborhood was made possible by a generous grant from
Metropolitan Life Foundation

Barbara Van Horn and Priscilla Carman
Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy
College of Education
The Pennsylvania State University
1997

Introduction to Rosalie's Neighborhood                        Cast of Characters

About the Facilitator' Guide                         Sample Instructional Materials

Order Form and Information                                               Related Links

Illustrations, Feld Design

Rosalie's Neighborhood is a parent awareness literacy series providing essential health care information for parents or primary caregivers of young children, ages birth to 6.  The series includes three short books to help parents better understand the importance of providing preventive health and dental care for young children and of communicating with their children in ways that foster age-appropriate language development.  This series can be used by teachers, tutors, health care providers, counselors, or anyone working with adults with limited literacy who may need guidance to fully comprehend and use vital health-related information.  The materials were written to increase the parents' knowledge and skills in seeking comprehensive health care for their children - and in understanding its importance - as they develop literacy and problem-solving skills.

The health information is presented in the narrative style through a series of conversations among friends.  In the first story, Rosalie, an understanding grandmother, offers support and information about preventive health to Ginny and Felicia, two young mothers in the neighborhood.  In the second story, three friends share information they have learned about appropriate dental health for their children.   The third story focuses on issues related to language development and communicating with children.  As Rosalie's neighbors and friends learn together about health-related matters, so do the users of the materials.

Characters in Rosalie's Neighborhood

   Rosalie Stevens

                             Alisha (granddaughter, age 5)

                             Robert (husband)

                             Shawna (daughter)

            Felicia Gonzalez

                    Luis (son, age 5)

                    Jorge (son, age 6)

            Ginny McMillan

                    Maggie (daughter, age 5)

                    Donny (son, age 4)

                    Bill (boyfriend) 

| Rosalie's Main Page| Introduction | Cast of Characters | For the Facilitator | Sample Materials | Order Forms | Related Links |