The Toyota Family Literacy Program (TFLP) serves English as Second Language families with children in elementary school. Currently, 75 TFLP sites in 25 cities across the nation have received grant support from NCFL to implement this ground-breaking model. Established in 2003, TFLP addresses the growing needs of Hispanic and other immigrant families by increasing English language and literacy skills for adults while also supporting parents’ involvement in their children’s education. Click here to learn more about the Toyota program and the NCFL/Toyota partnership.

Many cities are replicating and expanding the model; this is due to TFLP’s proven ability to produce wonderful results for families.

• Adults in the program make significant literacy gains with 54 percent improving literacy scores by at least one level. This has contributed to an improved understanding of basic oral and written instructions in English and basic computer literacy skills. Additionally, 92 percent of parents stated that they are better able to help their children with their homework.
• Children in the program exceeded peers in such areas as academic performance (79 percent), motivation to learn (86 percent), attendance (96 percent), classroom behavior (91 percent) and involvement in classroom activities (88 percent)
• 91 percent of parents stated their children’s grades have improved

The Family and Child Education (FACE) program serves American Indian families with children from birth to grade three and is supported by the Bureau of Indian Education. Now operating in 44 American Indian schools, this incredible program provides culturally responsive education, resources and support to American Indian parents and children. A FACE Impact Study commissioned by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget found that at school entry, children with special needs who did not participate in FACE are twice as likely to require special education services and Individual Education Plans as are children who participated in the FACE program. To date, the FACE program has reached more than 25,000 families.

The Family Literacy-Community College Initiative is exploring the unique partnership between family literacy programs and community colleges in promoting a continuing education for adult learners. For many adult learners receiving their GEDs, enrolling in a community college is the next natural step toward earning a college degree. NCFL, with funding from the MetLife Foundation, is researching the latest best practices of community colleges in cultivating the enrollment and supporting the progress of former family literacy students. From this extensive research, NCFL will create a toolkit of resources that will help adult learners achieve their goals of advanced degrees, economic security and more promising opportunities for both them and their children. These resources will also provide family literacy practitioners and community college staff with the tools they need to help these students succeed.

Each year, NCFL and Toyota recognizes the outstanding efforts of a family literacy teacher with the Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year (TOY) Award. NCFL awards this honor to a teacher who has made innovative and passionate contributions to improving the lives of adults and children through family literacy – whether through early childhood education, school-based programs, adult literacy and ESL programs, parenting education, or a community literacy program. To learn more about the TOY Award, click here.

The Verizon Tech Savvy Awards recognize outstanding educational programs that demystify technology for parents so that they may better support their children’s academic and social growth in an increasingly complex 21st century. Established in 2007 by the Verizon Foundation, the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) and Former First Lady of Iowa Christie Vilsack, the Verizon Tech Savvy Awards are the first national awards given to intergenerational digital learning programs.

A growing body of research shows that children need responsible and savvy adult mentors in order to use technology effectively. According to the 2005 report, Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-olds, young people spend an average of 6½ half hours a day using media – or 44½ hours per week. Most of this time occurs outside of school. The Verizon Tech Savvy Awards are designed to promote and support programs that meet parents’ and caregivers’ goals of being their children’s first and best teachers by increasing their knowledge and understanding of how technology benefits learning. For more information about these awards or to learn how to nominate a program, visit the Verizon Tech Savvy Web page.

Better World Books has been a critical partner in NCFL’s fight for a more literate nation, raising more than $330,000 for our mission to date and $5.2 million for literacy and education overall. With Better World Books' help, NCFL has been able to organize community support from libraries and college campuses all across the country. Better World Books has mobilized local book drives at over 888 college campuses and libraries nationwide on behalf of NCFL.

In 2005, Better World Books and NCFL used the power of their community outreach efforts to fund the purchase of more than 10,000 books to restock family libraries after Hurricane Katrina, as well as develop literacy resources that would help families keep learning alive during trying times. By harnessing the potential of communities, NCFL and Better World Books are truly changing the face of resource mobilization.

Since October 2006, NCFL and the Southern California McDonald’s Restaurants have teamed up for the highly successful Family Mealtime Literacy Nights. The McDonald’s Family Mealtime Literacy Nights program is designed to show parents of preschoolers how they can use simple household routines to teach literacy, math and science to their children. These fun and interactive workshops not only allow families special time to spend together, but they also improve school readiness for children and increase parents’ excitement to support their children’s learning. These workshops are a wonderful example of NCFL reaching families directly with a customized and creative program that meets the community’s needs.

NCFL, The UPS Store® and Mail Boxes Etc.® network, and the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation are placing books in the hands of children in communities nationwide. NCFL president and founder Sharon Darling is the official spokesperson for the 2009 Toys for Tots Literacy Program. Contact The UPS Store in your community to encourage them to participate in this important program or to request books for your program, click here.

Thinkfinity.org is a powerful educational platform that is shaping family literacy programs nationwide. On the Thinkfinity Literacy Network (TLN), visitors can access more than 55,000 free, expert-approved and researched-based educational resources for adult and family literacy practitioners, K-12 teachers and volunteers. Some of these dynamic and interactive resources include: free online courses, program assessment tools, teaching and learning tools, model programs that demystify technology for parents, and abundant research highlighting the importance of literacy development across the lifespan.

NCFL has made many exciting contributions to TLN, including the Verizon Literacy Program Self-Assessment (VLP-SAT) – a free, interactive and in-depth survey that offers research-based strategies proven to bring about literacy outcomes for intergenerational learners. NCFL is currently the leading content provider of resources promoting parent involvement on TLN. Using our years of experience in families learning together, NCFL is now developing rich multimedia resources that encourage parents of K-12 students to become engaged in their child’s education. You can check out these resources here.

NCFL’s extensive work in the Hispanic community has led to the development of some highly useful and important resources. The most recent of these resources is the Parents + Schools = Successful Children foto-novela series. The foto-novela is an extremely popular form of media in Spanish-speaking cultures. NCFL capitalized on this knowledge to create a resource that truly speaks to Hispanic families and engages parents to become more involved in their children’s educations, all while acting as a guide to understanding the American school system. These foto-novelas, made possible by funding from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, have been met with enthusiasm by educators. To order copies of these foto-novelas for your classroom, visit the Adult section in our Free Resources.

NCFL continues to offer the culmination of our expertise to train and empower others with the best in family literacy practices. Since 1989, NCFL has trained upwards of 150,000 practitioners, educators and volunteers to become stronger and more prepared to help families face their challenges.

NCFL is often called upon to lend our reputable expertise and experience to both local and national projects. Currently, NCFL is the lead consultant for the Metro United Way 4community2 Legacy of Literacy project in Southern Indiana. NCFL is aiding the Southern Indiana community in their quest to promote adult, teen and displaced worker literacy across the region by providing research, resource mobilization and project guidance.

Many of NCFL’s initiatives and resources are based upon the latest in research conducted here by NCFL staff. We are often called upon by the federal government to lend our expertise to high-level research projects that support literacy and learning. Recently, NCFL’s National Early Literacy Panel (NELP) completed its report called Developing Early Literacy. This report encompasses a thorough research synthesis of 300 studies on early childhood literacy to determine which critical skills and teaching methods for young children lead to long-term success. NELP examined the different types of interventions that work best to help young children develop literacy skills – everything from parent and home programs to shared reading interventions. Developing Early Literacy is already dramatically affecting the ways in which early childhood educators and practitioners are viewing teaching practices. To download a copy of this comprehensive report, click here.