SEATTLE, Feb. 13, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Toyota today announced that three Seattle elementary schools will be among the newest sites for its successful Toyota Family Literacy Program (TFLP). TFLP -- the first nationwide program of its kind to focus on the needs of Hispanic and other immigrant families -- is coordinated by the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), the country's leading advocate for family literacy.
Toyota has contributed $600,000 to fund the program at White Center Heights Elementary, Beverly Park Elementary and Mount View Elementary. All three schools are located in the Highline School District and average 32 percent Hispanic enrollment.
TFLP -- which got its start in 2003 and is now functioning in 20 cities across the U.S. -- aims to increase basic language and literacy skills among Hispanic and other immigrant families and provide parents with the skills they need to help their children succeed in school. The program specifically serves children in kindergarten to third grade and their parents. TFLP is unique in that it incorporates NCFL's multicultural family literacy model, which combines key components, including: ESL courses, children's education, parenting education, Parent and Child Together (PACT) activities and computer-literacy instruction. Since its inception, Toyota's commitment to the program exceeds $35 million.
In addition to launching the program at these three schools, the funding will allow NCFL to provide comprehensive support for training, educational materials and assistance at each site. Highline School District is working hand-in-hand with NCFL to implement the family literacy program. Also serving as local partners are Highline Community College and Para Los Ninos, a non-profit organization focusing on Latino student education.
Along with Seattle, four other cities are part of the latest expansion of the Toyota Family Literacy Program: Salt Lake City, Utah; Oakland, Calif.; Mesa, Ariz. and Miami, Fla. A total of 230 school districts submitted applications for the five spots, all vying for part of the overall $3 million grant from Toyota.
"We are excited about the way the Toyota Family Literacy Program connects student learning, adult English instruction and parent-child reading time," said John P. Welch, superintendent, Highline School District. "We believe this combination will lead to increased student achievement. We appreciate the expertise the National Center for Family Literacy brings to this project."
Results from the TFLP programs already implemented include:
-- Significant literacy gains by adults, the majority of which
improved their literacy scores by one or more levels
-- Ratings for children in the program that exceeded peers in
areas including academic performance, motivation to learn,
attendance, classroom behavior, involvement in classroom
activities, and other areas
-- 92 percent of parents stating they're better able to help their
child with homework
-- 91 percent of parents stating their child's grades have improved
-- Waiting lists at the majority of program sites due to high
demand
"By partnering with Toyota, NCFL has nurtured a proven formula of research and delivery of family literacy services that not only works for the participants, but for the betterment of the communities," said Sharon Darling, president and founder of NCFL. "And, we're proud to say, our path to success here in Seattle has been set by the impressive gains made by thousands of TFLP participants in family literacy programs nationwide."
"Through the efforts of NCFL, the Toyota Family Literacy Program has already proven successful in reaching thousands of families in diverse communities across the country," said Patricia Pineda, group vice president, legal, philanthropy and administration at Toyota Motor North America. "We're thrilled to bring the program to Seattle and we look forward to making even more positive and lasting contributions to students and families."
ABOUT NCFL
The National Center for Family Literacy was established by Sharon Darling in 1989 with a grant from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust. For the past 18 years, NCFL has pioneered educational initiatives that open pathways to continuous life improvement for the nation's most at-risk children and families. The organization has supported more than 150,000 teachers and thousands of volunteers, leading to positive gains for more than 1 million families. To learn more, call 1-877-FAMLIT-1 or visit www.famlit.org.
ABOUT TOYOTA
Since 1991, Toyota and NCFL have forged successful programs to promote family literacy in the United States. Today, the Toyota/NCFL partnership accounts for nearly 226 family literacy sites in 43 cities and 27 states. As part of this partnership, the Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year award has been presented annually since 1997 and recognizes individual teachers' contributions to improving literacy among youth and adults. Additional information on Toyota's commitment to improving education nationwide is available at www.toyota.com/about/our_commitment/philanthropy/education.