From Grant to Impact: “Cooking Up Literacy” Strengthens Family Engagement in Pleasant Hill

On February 11, St. Peter Claver Catholic School launched its first “Cooking Up Literacy” Family Literacy Event Pilot, serving families connected to the Pleasant Hill neighborhood.

“Cooking Up Literacy” in Pleasant Hill began with a simple goal: use reading, comprehension, and creativity to make literacy come alive for students.

Thanks to support from the Macon Area Habitat for Humanity Sustainability Fund, what started as a student-centered literacy initiative grew into something even more powerful.

In partnership with school leadership, the program was thoughtfully expanded into a Family Literacy Night model — bringing families into the learning experience and strengthening the connection between school and home.

The result was more than an event. It was a shared literacy experience where reading, conversation, creativity, and community came together in meaningful ways. Families didn’t just attend — they participated, learned, and engaged alongside their children.

By adapting the original vision to meet a real community need, “Cooking Up Literacy” demonstrated how strategic partnerships and flexible design can transform a grant-funded idea into lasting family engagement impact in Pleasant Hill.

Purpose and Design

Hosted at St. Peter Claver Catholic School — a longstanding educational anchor within Pleasant Hill — “Cooking Up Literacy” was intentionally designed as an integrated family literacy experience.

Families rotated through interactive stations that combined:

• Reading and guided discussion

• Nutrition-based reasoning

• Movement and physical engagement

• Hands-on, no-bake food preparation

  
  

Each component reinforced literacy development while encouraging family dialogue, shared decision-making, and neighborhood connection. Learning was not passive. It was active, collaborative, and joyful.

Family-Reported Outcomes

Every participating parent reported that during the event, their family:

✔ read together

✔ talked about food

✔ moved together

✔ learned something new

One parent shared,

“We had a chance to laugh together and share!”

A facilitator at the Nutrition Station reflected:

“Having to explain your reasoning really involved thought and decision making.”

A teacher volunteer observed:

“The kids are so confident tonight and they are enjoying themselves.”

Students expressed both creativity and pride. One child described her parfait design as:

“neat, pretty, and fabulous… I would be the winner if in a competition.”

Another student arrived quietly with her family but gradually became more confident as the evening unfolded. At the Movement Station, she independently selected her movements. Later, she proudly shared that her no-bake parfait “tasted great.” When asked which ingredient made it taste so good, she smiled and answered, “All of them!”

Throughout the evening, Daniel and Alonna — serving as quiet researchers — tallied 235 observed smiles and laughs, reflecting repeated moments of authentic engagement among families.

Partnership and Collaboration

The pilot was strengthened through collaboration with Middle Georgia State University.

Participants included six MGA college students, one foreign exchange student, Dr. Amerson (facilitator), Dr. Causey (anchor facilitator), and a dedicated high school volunteer.

Prior to the event, Dr. Daneell Moore provided orientation and training for the college students to prepare them to facilitate integrated literacy stations. During the event, MGA students led the stations, applying their teacher preparation training in a real-world family engagement setting under faculty mentorship.

Special appreciation goes to Regina Sweeney for her leadership in preparation and grant coordination, which helped bring “Cooking Up Literacy” to life.

Neighborhood Impact and Sustainability

Although students attending St. Peter Claver come from across Macon-Bibb, the school remains a meaningful anchor within Pleasant Hill. Hosting “Cooking Up Literacy” on-site strengthened school–home–community relationships and contributed to neighborhood vitality.

Expanding the initiative into a Family Literacy Night model strengthened the sustainability of the original grant proposal by:

• Equipping families with literacy strategies they can continue using at home

• Deepening parent engagement with the school

• Creating a replicable model for future community literacy events

• Building facilitation capacity among teachers, volunteers, and university partners

The books, instructional strategies, and collaborative relationships developed through this pilot will continue supporting family literacy engagement beyond a single evening.

Conclusion

“Cooking Up Literacy” demonstrated that when a neighborhood school becomes a hub for intentional family engagement, literacy moves beyond instruction — it becomes a shared community experience.

We are grateful to the Macon Area Habitat for Humanity Sustainability Fund for investing in Pleasant Hill families and supporting innovative approaches that strengthen educational stability and family resilience.

—Daneell Moore, Ph.D.

Program Designer, Family Literacy Initiative