The Maryland Family Literacy Initiative: Recent Grantees
The Maryland Family Literacy Initiative has awarded grants totaling $504,450 to 13 local organizations serving low-income, low-literacy Maryland residents.
Ranging from $40,000 to $50,000, ten implementation grants were awarded to nonprofit organizations and public agencies for the purpose of implementing family literacy programs in their communities. Winners were selected in a competitive process following the submission of proposals from a variety of organizations. Family Literacy programs work to improve the language and literacy skills of both parents and children and encourage a love of reading and education within families.
Three planning grants of $5,000 each were also awarded to Maryland non-profit organizations to help them assess the literacy needs and resources in their communities, build coalitions, and then design a family program If successful, these organizations will go on to apply for full implementation grants .
The 2011 Maryland Family Literacy Initiative grantees will be announced at the Foundation's 8th annual Maryland Celebration of Reading, which will take place at The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD, on May 17, 2011 All funds raised by the event will support future Maryland Initiative grants. This year’s Celebration of Reading, hosted by founder Doro Bush Koch and co-founder Tricia Reilly Koch, will star guest authors Donovan Campbell, Wes Moore, Mark Victor Hansen, Jean Auel, David Feherty and Sandra Brown reading from their bestselling books. Other special guests for the evening include former President George H.W. Bush and Mrs. Barbara Bush.
According to co-founders, Doro Bush Koch and Tricia Reilly Koch, “The state of Maryland has a surprisingly high rate of adults with poor literacy skills as well as children who lack the skills needed to start school ready to learn. With these grants, the Maryland Initiative is tackling the problem by providing opportunities for families to read and learn together, strengthening not just reading skills, but the family unit as well."
Following are the 2011 Maryland Family Literacy Initiative grant winners, listed in alphabetical order:
Board of County Commissioners of Frederick County ($50,000). This grant will allow the Family Partnership of Frederick County to continue its successful LIFE (Literacy is Fundamental for Everyone) program at its 2 family support center sites in Frederick and Emmitsburg.
Cecil County Public Schools-Judy Center Partnership ($50,000). By providing weekly family literacy nights at 3 Title 1 elementary schools as well as at a local shelter, this program reaches 75 Cecil County families. These events are designed to teach parents strategies and literacy-promoting activities to share with their children birth to 4.
Centro Nia ($50,000).This grant will expand the successful community- based and community initiated Family Book Club program into the primarily Latino, low income community of Langley/Takoma Park.
Cumberland YMCA Family Center ($50,000). As the lead agency in a collaborative effort to enhance community literacy, the Cumberland Y Family Center will enhance its family literacy program with monthly Literacy Parties at the Y, quarterly Literacy Parties at the Judy Center, a three week literacy-focused summer camp, and additional hours of adult literacy instruction,
Harford County Public Library ($49,735). In partnership with the Harford County Public Schools, Harford County Public Library will provide weekly story times for preschool classes at three Title 1 elementary schools as well as in-class lending libraries and Story Sacks for home use.
Mental Health Association – Families Foremost ($50,000). As a comprehensive family support center serving low income culturally diverse families including an increasing number of homeless and transient families with children birth to 4,MHA will add a remedial class for low literacy level parents who would otherwise go un-served.
Ready at Five ($40,000). With this grant, Ready at Five will develop and pilot a parent engagement and family literacy component for its highly successful Vocabulary Improvement & Oral Language Enrichment through Stories (VIOLETS) curriculum for English Language Learning families.
Southeast Early Head Start ($49,715). With this grant, SEHS will work in collaboration with Baltimore City Community College and the Living Classroom Foundation to provide financial and computer literacy classes and work readiness training for parents, as well as increase the availability of books for parents and their children to read together..
Washington County Family Support Center ($50,000). This grant will enable the Center to integrate and coordinate current adult education, early childhood, family literacy and parent education programming for the young families it serves.
Waverly Family Support Center ($50,000). With this grant, the Center, located in Baltimore City, will increase the instructional hours of Pre-GED and GED classes, financial literacy and computer literacy for parents and children. and offer seminars to increase parents’ knowledge of higher education and career training options. The Center will also create a new outreach effort to custodial and non-custodial fathers.
PLANNING GRANTS
Baltimore City Health Department
This $5000 grant will provide funding for the Baltimore City Health Department to plan Reading For Health, a program that will integrate and coordinate family literacy services into an existing continuum of care for at-risk women in Baltimore.
Literacy Council of Carroll County.
Using its $5000 grant, the Literacy Council of Carroll County will plan the development of the Each One Teach One Family program. This new program will reach out to current participants’ family members, moving toward the goal of family tutoring sessions.
Enterprise Community Partners,
With this grant, Enterprise will develop partnerships to identify and address the educational and literacy needs of parents in the families of the children it serves, thus moving the program toward a comprehensive family literacy model.
