Lori Donnelly's children have plenty of homework: book reports, vocabulary lists, math problems, a half-dozen daily work sheets and reading time.
One child is in kindergarten, the other in first grade."I love it," said Donnelly, whose children are in the gifted program at Whittier Elementary in Salt Lake City School District. "Our kids luckily don't hate their homework. They kind of enjoy it. We try to keep it that way."
The Donnellys are one of many families penciling in homework as a main weekday activity. Homework activities are assigned to children as young as kindergarten, which catches some first-time parents off guard. Education specialists say no child is too young to begin life-long learning through appropriately assigned practice, problem-solving and exploration.
But the key is not all in the labor. It's parental involvement.
"Research indicates that the more involved parents are with their children, the more effective the formal instruction is," said professor Jean M. Larsen, coordinator of the early childhood education program at Brigham Young University. "It's the most meaningful kind of family time."
Homework came into the spotlight following a 1983 federal government report titled "A Nation At Risk," said John A. Smith, associate professor of elementary education at Utah State University.
The report alleged public schools were failing and America would lose its worldwide competitive edge unless serious steps - including increased homework - were taken in education.
Teachers since have assigned more homework, at their discretion, Smith says.
As a rule of thumb, the average teenager should hit the books about six hours a week, said Julie Baker, curriculum specialist over early childhood education for the State Office of Education. In elementary school, children should do homework 10 minutes per night per grade level.
"Kids who have that much homework on a regular basis achieve success," Baker said.
"Teachers mostly only have time to introduce concepts. The real practice needs to be at home. It takes both the parent and teacher to be involved to help that child. Schools cannot do it by themselves."
Homework in lower grades is not the purple-ink, mimeographed work sheets parents may remember.
Rather, kindergartners may be asked to count all the windows in their homes. A first-grader may get a calendar and crayons for coloring in days he reads 10 minutes at home. Some teachers send home backpacks of materials for simple science experiments, such as sinking and floating objects.
Parents may add their own activities, such as requesting a little hand in writing the shopping list.
Cheryl Ek's kindergartner is assigned no homework, but he makes up his own assignments to mimic his third-grade big brother.
"He wants to have homework too, which is good, I think," said Ek, whose children attend Whittier Elementary.
Shauna Miner, mother of first- and fourth-grade students at Rosecrest Elementary in the Granite School District, says homework is the main event in her home.
"I feel like there are so many demands on teachers nowadays. With 30 children in a classroom, it's impossible for your child to get individual attention," Miner said. "Especially if he's struggling in anything, the parent is the only way that child can pull ahead."
But she and education officials say homework becomes more challenging for single-parent families. Ek, once a single mom, can vouch for that.
A mother who gets off a minimum-wage-paying job at 6 p.m. may not even get dinner on the table until after 7, then be faced with preparing the children for the next day and squeezing homework time in between.
"It makes it really tough," Ek said. "But it boils down to being a matter of prioritizing. Sometimes you have to turn off the phone and the outside world and look at what's important. To me, what's important is my family."
Education officials say helping with homework is a basic parental responsibility. But not all parents participate.
That can leave children to incorrectly practice arithmetic, for example, or to not do homework at all, said Whittier principal Patti O'Keefe. That can frustrate teachers.
"Many teachers are less willing to send home homework because they see a decreased amount of homework being returned," O'Keefe said. "Assignments going unreturned is happening more and more and is a concern of teachers."
But educators can teach parents how to become more involved in their child's schooling.
Bridgerland Literacy since June has trained Cache Valley parents on how to become better tutors for their children. The Center for Families In Education, under the State Office of Education, is developing such training.
"Unfortunately, a lot of people whose children are struggling in school are not in a position to help them," said Sharon Atwater, Bridgerland Literacy director.
For instance, some parents do not speak English; others may not feel competent enough in a subject to lend support.
But barriers can be broken.
Parents can express high expectations to their children and set aside a specific time to do homework every day. A quiet study area can be established. Parents can check on student progress and keep in contact with teachers.
"The greatest help you can provide is demonstrating as a parent that you care," O'Keefe said.
"Of course there are challenges, but, of course, we hope all challenges can be overcome. If we weren't hopeful, we wouldn't be educators."