Detroit Area Educator Named National Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year

Katy Kibbey of Hamtramck honored as 12th recipient of annual award

Listen to an audio story about Katy Kibbey (mp3)

Toyota named Katy Kibbey from Wayne County, MI, as the national 2007 Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year today at the National Conference on Family Literacy in Louisville.

“In my elementary school teaching, I witnessed the disparity in outcomes and opportunities between students with literacy rich homes and parents and those without,” said Kibbey, who is an adult education/ESL instructor for the Wayne Metropolitan Family Literacy program in Hamtramck, Mich. “I’m excited to be helping at the ground level.”

As part of the award, the program will receive $5,000, which Kibbey said will be used mostly to provide more technology for interactive lessons and parent/child activities. Kibbey also received a free trip to the conference. She also was featured on an electronic billboard in Times Square earlier this month.

Katy is helping families achieve tremendous and lasting results,” said Sharon Darling, NCFL president and founder.

“Participants receive computer literacy, citizenship and job training services. Through the help of Katy and the entire staff, families and the community itself are making meaningful and enduring improvements -- the true purpose of family literacy.”

In Hamtramck, Mich., 54 percent of the community’s families report English as their second language, and the Hamtramck Public Schools serve students from 28 different countries.

Her efforts and those of the program have resulted in 92 percent of adults showing literacy gains of at least one level, and two students entered college for the first time in the history of the family literacy program.

Children who attend the program with their parents also show significant gains. During the past program year, 92 percent were reading at grade level and students had a school attendance rate of 90 percent. 

“When my husband and I look at Ms. Katy, we see an angel,” said Taslima Nasrin, a native of Bangladesh who began taking family literacy classes in 2003 and has subsequently become a U.S. citizen and enrolled in a community college. “I love learning and thank Ms. Katy for teaching us to help teach the love of learning to our children.”

Kibbey’s recruitment plan, which encourages continuous participation, includes class celebrations, award ceremonies and incentive opportunities for families to earn books, educational resources and household items. Achievements both small and large are recognized through parent-authored newsletters and initiatives such as the Client of the Year Award.

“Katy is shaping the lives of immigrant families, improving the futures for our next generation and helping the entire community through family literacy,” said Patricia Pineda, group vice president, philanthropy, at Toyota Motor North America.  “She has created an environment where students are motivated to learn, and parents become full partners in their children’s education. Her efforts are why we continue the tradition of honoring the unsung heroes of education through the Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year.”

Toyota and NCFL also recognized the Teacher of the Year runners-up, who received scholarships to the NCFL conference and a $500 grant for travel expenses:

• Misti Lauer with the NJC Family Literacy program in Sterling, CO
• Milene Panzica with the Toyota Family Literacy Program in Shelby County, AL
• Silvana Vasconcelos of the New York City Department of Youth & Community Development in Queens