Family Literacy Initiative

Dear Literacy Friends:

Reading has always been my passion. I believe the ability to read unlocks a world of possibilities and can help make the difference between a life fulfilled and one not Helping others learn to read is one of the greatest gifts we can give to others. The passion to read can be contagious— especially when reading becomes a family value. As a mother, I know the home is the child’s first school and parents are a child’s first teachers. It thrills me to help other families discover how the simple, enjoyable routine of reading together can bring families closer and fuel the passion for lifelong learning. This is why I have made family literacy my life’s work and am especially pleased to see my children carry on this work.

I am very proud of my son Jeb who has worked with so many of you to establish a strong family literacy network in Florida. George and I are honored that from the very beginning, back in 1999, Jeb called upon us to help with this initiative. It assures us, as parents, that we did the right thing with our children, by making reading one of our core family values.

Each year at the Celebration of Reading, we celebrate strengthening family literacy in Florida. It is an honor to be part of this tremendous movement and I invite you to join us.

Sincerely,

Barbara Bush

FAMILY LITERACY — AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE

We believe that the family that learns together excels together — beginning with the simple, joyful act of reading together. Over the better part of the past decade, we’ve been proud to be at the forefront of the family literacy movement. Our approach is unique because we not only help children learn to read, we teach their parents as well.

We’ve learned that children are very powerful motivators for many moms and dads. Once we have enrolled a family, the moms and dads keep coming back, not only because they want to be successful themselves, but also because they know they are serving as powerful mentors for their children.

The students in our programs have some common traits: for one reason or another, they never completed requirements for their high school diploma; they all are parents of young children; and they all are willing to come to school several times a week with their children. Most of our students also are working, and most hope to find a better job.

We know our approach is not the norm, yet we also know it works. Our parents have learning gains almost twice the national average; they are gaining almost two years of knowledge in one year’s time. The programs we fund are small community-based programs, and most of them borrow space. As with many small programs, our budgets are very tight, and we’re always in need of computers, books, and other materials.

OUR GOALS:

To help adults become workforce ready through classes that encompass reading, math, parenting skills, and GED instruction,
To help children start school ready to excel,
To perpetuate lifelong learning as a family value to be passed on through the generations.

FOUR CORE COMPONENTS OF FAMILY LITERACY:

Adult Education – Reading, writing, math, workforce skills, English for speakers of other languages, and GED.
Early Childhood Education – Prepares children to enter school at or above grade level through age appropriate lessons and literacy activities.
Parenting Education – Life and parenting skills, child development, financial literacy and family reading strategies.
Parent and Child Together Time – A dedicated class where parents practice intergenerational learning activities.

Family Lit. Core Components.pdf 99.66 kB

ACCORDING TO NATIONAL LITERACY RESEARCH

96% - Parents who became more confident in working with teachers to enhance their children’s education
90% - Parents who advanced academically
89% - Parents who became more confident and better equipped to help their children with their homework by improving their own academic skills
85% - Children who made significant gains in their literacy skills
84% - Those who made reading together become a family priority
83% - Families whose outings to the library have become a favorite activity

RESULTS

After years of formal research, America has come to embrace what it knew all along — the family is the most powerful influence on education. All of our programs operate four classes that every family participates in weekly. While the class schedule is intense, we are proud to report that attendance in our family literacy programs is twice that of adult literacy programs nationally.

The classes are:

Education for the parents
Early childhood education for the children
Parenting education
Parent and Child Together (PACT) classes

The results from our programs are outstanding. We rate every program on an annual Report Card Evaluation in an easy-to-understand A-to-F grading scale. All programs that receive continued funding from us must score at least a “B” grade.

A “B” designation requires the parents in the program meet our requirement of gaining close to two years’ worth of knowledge in one year’s time, and it also requires that the program meet financial and programmatic benchmarks. The children in our program typically start the school year behind children their age. We’re proud to report that within a year the gains a child makes are faster and greater than even those made by children in the statewide Reading First program.