AGENCY:Broward County Public Schools Vocational, Adult and Community Education (VACE)
Neeta Rancourt, Curriculum Specialist
Kimara Bedassie, Resource Teacher

PROGRAM MISSION:
The primary goal of the Family Literacy model is to break the intergenerational cycle of undereducation and poverty by improving parents' basic skills and attitudes toward education, their parenting skills, their children's literacy skills and/or school readiness skills, and the overall quality of parent-child relationships. This is accomplished by providing a program that simultaneously addresses the literacy levels of parents and their children in a comprehensive family literacy model. The components include: Adult Literacy Training, Early Childhood/Elementary Education, Parenting /Life Skills Education, and Parents and Children Together Time (Intergenerational activities).

The Toyota Families for Learning and the Toyota Families in Schools programs bring parents who do not have a high school diploma together with their preschool-age and/or elementary-age children. Parents work towards getting a GED, learning the English language and improving job readiness skills, while their children attend preschool or elementary school under the same roof.

In the traditional Toyota Families for Learning programs, the parents and children attend five days weekly, while the various other family literacy programs have varying schedules based on community need. Counselors, social workers and trained parent educators support the family. Child care is provided for siblings under four years of age at no cost to the parent. Breakfast and lunch are served free of charge to parents and children who qualify. Non-educational needs are addressed by referrals to appropriate agencies.

This program is a collaborative effort between The National Center for Family Literacy, community agencies/businesses, Broward County Public Schools adult, community, preschool, and elementary schools/centers, and Vocational, Adult and Community Education and Early Childhood and Elementary Education Departments.

The sites include:

FUNDING:
The Family Literacy Programs are maintained through collaborative funding sources, to include: various grant funding (Toyota Motor Corporation, South Florida Annenburg Foundation, Literacy Coalition of Broward County and others), Florida Department of Education Workforce Development funds, and Pre-kindergarten Early Intervention and Head Start Program funds.

ELIGIBILITY:
Families qualify for the programs based on their need in relation to income level, adult education eligibility, English proficiency, and family size. Parents/guardians must: be at least 16 years of age; not enrolled in a secondary school; need to master basic skills; earn a GED and/or learn to read, write, or speak English; meet low income guidelines; and have at least one child who is preschool eligible and/or enrolled in elementary school.

FEES:
There are no fees to eligible adult and elementary school age participants; fees MAY apply to the preschool age participant.