Community Partnerships for Adult Learning

The First Lady's Family Literacy Initiative for Texas

The Texas Center for Adult Literacy and Learning will administer the First Lady's Family Literacy Initiative for Texas this year. The Initiative is a program of the Barbara Bush Texas Fund for Family Literacy. Since 1996, the Initiative has awarded nearly $1.5 million to seventy programs around the state. Eligible grantees include school districts, community colleges, universities, charter schools, Head Start and Even Start programs and libraries. The Barbara Bush Foundation raises money for the Initiative each year at A Celebration of Reading held annually at the Wortham Center in Houston.

The grants are specifically designed to enhance family literacy programs in grades PreK-3. It is often said that the home is the child's first school, the parent is the child's first teacher, and reading is the child's first subject. "Family literacy programs throughout Texas work on the front lines of the battle against illiteracy. They help adults equip themselves to meet the daily needs of their families, their own literacy needs, and to prepare their children for success in school and in life. Clearly, Texans are committed to strong, effective literacy programs." (First Lady Laura Bush, Honorary Chair).

Burton Hill Elementary School Fort Worth. The Burton Hill Elementary Literacy Project is designed to establish a family literacy involvement Instructional Reading and Adult Education/ESL Curriculum into existing literacy instructional programs.

Cedar Hill ISD, Cedar Hill. The Extended Year Pre-K/Family Literacy Program Component project will enhance and expand the existing Cedar Hill Even Start Family Literacy program by serving 50 additional families during the summer.

Condit Elementary School, Bellaire. The Opportunity for All project, in collaboration with the Houston Community College, and Williams Company, will implement a comprehensive family literacy program for the families of students with limited English proficiency.

Cuero ISD Learning Connections Resource Center, Cuero. The Cuero ISD will establish The Learning Connections Resource Center to expand the existing literacy program. The Resource Center will provide access to books for disadvantaged families, and reinforce reading instruction for children and their parents.

Family Services of Greater Houston. The Family Literacy Program will enhance the existing family literacy program with the addition of early childhood educators to implement pre-Literacy instruction and intergenerational activities.

Garcia Elementary School, Grand Prairie. The Garcia Family Literacy Initiative project will implement a family literacy program to provide reading instruction to adults and training for parents to help their children as they are learning to read.

Neighborhood Centers, Inc., Bellaire.The Head Start Family Literacy Partnership project will enhance its family literacy services by providing parent literacy instruction and parent/child reading and literacy activities.

Pampa ISD, Pampa. The Pampa Family Literacy Project will expand the existing family literacy program to include teen parents. The program will provide child/parent reading focused activities for preschool children and their parents.

Panola College Workforce and Continuing Education, Carthage. The Family Literacy Project will develop a family literacy component in the adult education program by providing reading instruction to children. Parents and their children will read together with books provided by the program.

Paris Junior College, Paris The Words to Success project will offer reading classes to adults and children who are residents of the Housing authority of Paris?Clovis Graves apartments. The program will include intergenerational activities and computer literacy instruction.

Ms. Moore is a Research Assistant in the Texas Center for Adult Literacy & Learning at Texas A&M University. She serves as liaison between the Center and the First Lady's Family Literacy Initiative for Texas grant.