Barbara Bush Foundation awards SFA community center $50,000

DATE: May 8, 2006

St. Frances Academy Community Center was awarded a grant through the Barbara Bush Foundation Second Annual Maryland Grant Competition.

The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy announced today that it has awarded a $50,000 grant to the St. Frances Community Center in Baltimore, Maryland to fund the development of the Families on the Reading Edge Summer Camp and After School Program.  Both programs offer recreational opportunities as well as homework and literacy assistance for third and fourth graders from neighborhood schools. This year the Foundation awarded a total of $437,511.00 to eleven Maryland programs.  Ranging in size from $10,532 to $50,000, the eleven winning grant applications were chosen from among a variety of grant proposals from non-profit organizations and public institutions.

In partnership with Johns Hopkins University and Baltimore Reads, St. Frances Academy Community Center will serve predominately low-income adults in the Johnston Square neighborhood, through an expansion of the Center's existing family literacy program. Families on the Reading Edge will include life skills workshops for adults, safety literacy for parents and children, intergenerational family reading circles and literacy- infused learning for children.

Ralph E. Moore Jr., Director of the St. Frances Community Center, said the summer camp and after school program has been successful in giving neighborhood families a safe place for their children to go during the summer days and after school, and encouraging families to read and spend time together.  "We have many neighborhood children in the program, and our program offers them a place to go where they have fun, interact with children from other neighborhood schools, and receive additional school help, which is critical to their growth and development in school.  We require involvement by the parents and guardians during weekly Reading Circles and Parent Power sessions – this program brings families together to read, and that's an important thing."

Grant winners of this year's Maryland competition will be announced at the Foundation's third annual, Maryland Celebration of Reading, which will be held at The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda. The money raised at the Celebration funds the grants awarded by the family literacy initiative.  The evening, which is hosted by Doro Bush Koch, will feature bestselling authors David Baldacci, Antwone Fisher, Jon Meacham, and Ronan Tynan reading from their books; as well as other guests, including President George H.W. Bush and Mrs. Barbara Bush.

"The Maryland Celebration of Reading brings best-selling American authors together to raise awareness of the importance of family literacy," said Doro Bush Koch, Founder The Maryland Initiative of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, "It is an honor to be part of such an important and enriching organization."

Since Barbara Bush launched her foundation in 1989, it has awarded over $17 million to more than 500 family literacy programs in 47 different states and the District of Columbia. In addition to its national grant program, the Foundation also has four statewide initiatives in Maine, Texas, Florida, and now in Maryland.

For more information about the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, and its work, please visit the Foundation's website at www.barbarabushfoundation.com

Baltimore County Department of Social Services

Essex, MD

The Baltimore County Department of Social Services Family Literacy Project will offer adult education classes combining individual tutoring, classroom lecture, and individualized computer learning activities, to increase the literacy levels of 65 undereducated, low income parents.  In addition to caring for children and strengthening their language and motor skills as parents learn, the Child Development program will offer nurturing training and allow time for daily intergenerational reading activities.

Up County Family Center

Emmitsburg, MD

The Up County Family Literacy Program will extend the services of the center by helping parents to improve their literacy and language skills, reach higher educational levels and acquire better paying jobs. Parents and children will also read and participate daily in structured activities, such as games and crafts. In addition, the program will offer 3 lunches per week, daily breakfast and snacks; field trips; home-based service visits; free transportation, donated food and clothing and onsite child care.

Health, Education, Advocacy, Life, Inc. (HEAL)

Baltimore, MD

An expansion of the DRU Family Support Center, The Dru Family Literacy Project will address the problem of unemployment and weak literacy skills in adults, by offering adult education, computer and employability classes.  Parent education, research- based early childhood education, and parent- child activities will be used to prepare young children for school. During the summer, a camp, entitled "Summer is Hot, Learning is Cool" will be offered to children of participants.

Talbot County Family Support Center, Inc.

Easton, MD

As an expansion of the organization's existing family literacy program, Evening Family School will target working Talbot County parents who wish to pursue their education but are limited by their daytime schedule and lack of evening childcare. The program will provide adult education classes combined with homework help for elementary school students; pre-literacy activities for preschool children; and intergenerational parent/child reading activities.

Shared Opportunity Service, Inc. Kent Family Center

Chestertown, MD

The Kent Center Family literacy Project expands on an existing project by teaching childcare providers appropriate parent/child interactions and how to meet age- specific literacy standards for children ages 0-4.  The program will also make available a second English as a Second Language class (ESL), two evenings per week. ESL classes will offer adult/child computer, reading and school project activities as well as community field trips.  Transportation and onsite childcare will be provided.

Spanish Catholic Center

Gaithersburg, MD

Low Income, Limited English Proficient Immigrant Family Literacy Education is a family literacy pilot project. This program will assist low-income, immigrant parents and their children by expanding its Adult ESOL program through use of the Hispanic Family Learning Institutes' Family Literacy Model. In addition to adult ESOL, the program will provide parent education, children's structured play and learning and Parent and Child Together time.

Cecil County Public Library

Elkton, MD

Cecil County Families READ! will work directly with parents through monthly parenting classes, to coach, model and implement oral language and early literacy opportunities. The project will hold quarterly activities, including the distribution of free books for the children, as well as attendance incentives. Literacy kits, with early literacy facts information and tips will be given to all parents.

Housing Authority of Baltimore City

Baltimore, MD

Step To Success With Literacy is an expansion of Our House Family Support Center, which will serve 100 academically and economically disadvantaged families in Baltimore City during a 12-month period. The project will include parent and child together time; parent group time, and will integrate intergenerational literacy instruction; literacy instruction for parents, GED preparation for adults and pre-reading activities for children.