Barbara Bush Foundation’s Maine Family Literacy Initiative Awards New Grants Totaling $445K

Business Wire, June 22, 2009

Van BurenMaine School Administration District #24To support Gen Read, a center-based and home-based partnership of Van Buren Elementary School, SAD #24 Adult Education, Aroostook Community Action Head Start, Literacy Volunteers, Morneault Public Library, and Van Buren Housing Authority to encourage family learning through supportive community collaborations impacting potentially generations of readers.

III. LIGHTHOUSE GRANTS ($25,000 each)

Fort KentMaine School Administrative District 27To support CHIPPY, a program serving families through both center-based and home-based programming. CHIPPY has strong component integration and consistently empowers families in the goal setting process through the development of Family Action Plans. CHIPPY utilizes the Literacy Games curriculum for early childhood and parenting education. As a Lighthouse Program through the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, CHIPPY is open to visits by individuals and organizations interested in learning more about their model center-based and home-based family literacy program.

Knox CountyTeen and Young Parent Program of Knox CountyTo support The Growing Tree, serving young families (parents age 15-22 with children from birth to five) who have literacy and educational needs. The program is a collaboration of a home-visiting parent education program, an alternative high school program and an adult education program. As a Lighthouse Program through the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, The Growing Tree is open to visits by individuals and organizations interested in family literacy programming for teen parents.

PortlandPortland School DepartmentTo support Lighthouse Family Literacy, serving refugee and immigrant families in Portland, most of whom have little or no formal schooling in their home language. Lighthouse Family Literacy is a model for strong collaborations, particularly with Head Start. As a Lighthouse Program through the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, the Lighthouse Family Literacy is open to visits by individuals and organizations interested in family literacy programming for immigrants and refugees and those who are interested in how to improve collaboration with Head Start.

UnityMaine School Administrative District #3To support the SPICE program, providing home-based family literacy programming in rural Central Maine where many families are low-income and unable to travel to a center-based program. SPICE provides adult literacy, early childhood, parent education, and intergenerational literacy in the home by using technology to support and enhance their tutoring. As a Lighthouse Program through the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, SPICE Reaches Out! is open to visits by individuals and organizations interested in family literacy programming in rural settings.