Family Literacy Works in Florida

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Family Literacy Worksin Florida

• Practitioners Task Force on Literacy Education
  for Households
• 2007

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Workshop Agenda

• Welcome and Overview
• Introductions and Warm-Up Activity
• Family Literacy Resource Guide
• Needs Assessment
• Four Components
• Partnerships and Collaboration
• Family Literacy Models
• Outcomes and Measures
• Family Literacy Assessment
• Recruitment and Retention Strategies
• Resources Emerging Critical Program Issues
• Funding
• Wrap-Up - Questions and Answers

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Warm-Up Activity

• What is your involvement with Family Literacy?
• Introduce yourself and your program.
• Discuss how your agency/organization is involved
  or would like to be involved in Family Literacy.

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Family Literacy Resource Guidewww.floridatechnet
.org/famliteracy

• Overview of Family Literacy
• How to Begin a Family Literacy Program
• The Four Components of Family Literacy
• Entry/Exit Questionnaire
• Recruitment and Retention
• Partnerships and Collaboration
• Resources
• Funding Sources
• Appendices

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Needs Assessment

• 2007 Survey Results
• Student Retention
• Coordination and Collaboration
• Integrating the Four Components
• Early Childhood Training
• Professional Development

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Four Components

• Four Components of Family Literacy
• The definition of Family Literacy includes four
  major components
• Parent and Child Together Time
• Parent Education
• Adult Education
• Age-Appropriate Education for Children

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Four Components

• PACT Parent and Child Together Time
• Parent and Child Together time empowers parents
  in their roles as the primary teachers of their
  own children. It also strengthens the learning
  relationship between parent and child and helps
  parents feel more comfortable in school settings.

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Four Components

• Parent Education
• Parenting classes help provide
  parents/caregivers with an opportunity to share
  their concerns with a trained instructor and/or
  their peers. It also helps them learn new
  parenting strategies and provides support in
  their efforts to deal more effectively with
  day-to-day challenges.

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Four Components

• Adult Education
• Adult Education programs, ABE/GED or ESOL, help
  to raise the educational level of parents and
  gain the motivation, skills, and knowledge needed
  to become employed or to pursue further education
  or training.

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Four Components

• Age-Appropriate Education for Children
• Children of all ages need an education that is
  appropriate for their age and ability. It helps
  to prepare them for academic and social success
  in school and society.

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Partnerships and Collaboration

• Identifying potential partners to meet the
  individual and joint needs of families in a
  family literacy program requires creative problem
  solving. Consider who has mutual interests or
  clients, what agencies could benefit from working
  with you, and who has access to services and
  resources that your project needs?

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Partnerships and Collaboration

• Universities, colleges, and community colleges
• Social service agencies
• Religious organizations
• Community-based organizations
• Junior Achievement
• Scottish Rite Freemasonry
• Elks Club
• Rotary Club
• Lions Club
• Hospitals and health care centers
• Local TANF office/welfare agency
• Local Businesses
• Grocery stores
• Blue Cross/Blue Shield

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Partnerships and Collaboration

• Elementary and secondary schoolspublic and
  private
• Family support organizations
• Preschool programs (Head Start, Even Start, and
  VPK)
• Prisons or detention facilities
• Adolescent, adult and alternative education
  centers
• Professional associations and civic organizations
  
• Child care centers
• National professional associations
• Libraries
• Federal, state or local government
• Workforce investment boards
• Local media
• AmeriCorps - VISTA

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Partnerships and Collaboration

• A working definition of collaboration should
  include the following components
• A definition of mutual relationship and goals.
• A jointly developed structure and shared
  responsibility.
• Mutual authority and accountability for a
  successful program.
• Sharing of resources and rewards.

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Family Literacy Models
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Outcomes and Measures Parent and Child Together
(PACT) Time Standards

• The parent/caregiver demonstrates involvement and
  support of childrens learning development.
• The parent/caregiver demonstrates an
  understanding of maintaining supportive
  interactions with children.
• The parent/caregiver demonstrates support of
  routine interactions with children inside and
  outside the home.

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Outcomes and Measures Parent EducationStandards

• The parent/caregiver demonstrates increased
  knowledge of childrens development.
• The parent/caregiver demonstrates improved
  understanding of the children in his/her care.
• The parent/caregiver demonstrates increased
  awareness of alternative approaches to child
  discipline.
• The parent/caregiver demonstrates increased
  awareness of his/her role as teacher of the
  children in his/her care.

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Outcomes and Measures Parent Education
Standards (cont.)

• The parent/caregiver demonstrates support of the
  childrens education and works in partnership
  with the school for the good of the children in
  his/her care.
• The parent/caregiver demonstrates effective life
  management techniques.
• The parent/caregiver expands his/her family,
  neighborhood and community support networks.
• The parent/caregiver demonstrates attitudes,
  strategies and behaviors reflective of improved
  self-image and mental health.

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Outcomes and Measures Adult Literacy Standards

• The adult demonstrates improved literacy skills.
  Frameworks for ABE level students can be found at
  the ABE Florida website abeflorida.org/frameworks.
  html
• Frameworks for GED level students may be found at
  www.firn.edu/doe/dwdframe/ad/pdf/32010201.pdf
• The adult demonstrates improved workplace
  readiness and employment skills with emphasis on
  participation in a workforce driven by global
  competition.
• The adult demonstrates economic self-sufficiency.

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Outcomes and Measures Age-Appropriate Education
for Children Standards

• The Sunshine State Standards are the basis for
  quality programs in the state of Florida for all
  ages. The official website for the Standards is
  http//etc.usf.edu/flstandards/sss/index.html

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Family Literacy Assessment

• Entry Questionnaire
• Exit Questionnaire

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Family Literacy Programs

• Weekly Plan
• Parent and Child Together (PACT) Time
• Standard
• Activities ___

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Family Literacy Programs

• Weekly Plan
• Parent Education
• Standard
• Activities ______

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Family Literacy Program

• Weekly Plan
• Adult Education Component
• Standard
• Activities

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Family Literacy Program

• Weekly Plan
• Age-Appropriate Education for Children Component
• Standard
• Activities

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Recruitment
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Recruitment

• Direct Recruitment
• Parent liaisons at Title I Schools
• Parents
• Classroom Teachers
• Marketing and Public Awareness
• Brochures, flyers, etc.
• Printed course offerings
• Media - newspapers, TV, radio
• Public Service Announcements
• Social Marketing and word-of-mouth
• Partnerships
• Adult Education programs
• Early Childhood programs
• Business partners
• Governmental agencies, community organizations,
  libraries
• Title I
• Churches

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Retention
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Retention

• Quality Programming
• Customer (Student) satisfaction / Meet needs of
  student
• Meaningful evaluation / Continuous program
  improvement
• Student empowerment
• Effective, caring teachers with high, but
  realistic, expectations.
• Mailings to students who miss classes or
  congratulatory letters.
• Contact information and phone numbers on all
  correspondence.
• Barrier Removal
• Access to programs - transportation, childcare,
  etc.
• Attitudes and priorities
• Family relationships, cultures, and issues
• Supplemental services
• Incentives
• Employment opportunities
• Books
• School Supplies

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Recruitment and Retention

• Get Your Message Out
• Design flyers with tear-off contact numbers.
• Request electric, phone, or other utilities
  include flyers in monthly statements (may require
  thousands of copies!)
• Place flyers with tear-off numbers in grocery
  stores, drug stores, libraries, Laundromats and
  other convenient locations.
• Contact grocery stores about putting flyers in
  bags for a specified time.
• Place flyers or signs in city buses (with
  permission) to reach students and raise
  awareness.
• Set up a table at a local mall.
• Consider giveaways such as bumper stickers,
  bookmarks, magnets or other goodies.
• Put a notice in church bulletins.
• Source
• State of Florida, Department of Education,
  Division of Workforce Development. Spring 2001,

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Family Literacy Resources

• Websites and ListServs
• Books
• Media

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Emerging and Critical Program Issues

• Health Literacy
• Nutrition Literacy
• Financial Literacy

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Funding

• Grant Writing
• Grant/In-Kind Opportunities

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Questions and Answers
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Contacts

• Co-Facilitators
• Sharon E. Miller, Ph.D.
• Telephone [phone]
• Email Address smiller_at_hccfl.edu
• Linda Palmer, Florida DOE
• Telephone [phone]
• Email Address Linda.Palmer_at_fldoe.org

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Thank You