* 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;* 70% of participating families holding a library card by the end of the first program year;* Waiting lists at the majority of program sites due to high demand.Santa Paula Mayor Rick Cook said families are the heart and soul of Santa Paula. “Parents working with their children is what’s going to keep our city together and make us prosper,” Cook said. “Learning together, understanding together and achieving together is our main goal as a city and as a school district.”“We’re very proud that Toyota has expanded our partnership following the success of the Toyota Family Literacy Program over the past several years,” said Sharon Darling, NCFL founder and president. “Our goal is to continue to meet the pressing needs of Hispanic and other immigrant families both in Santa Paula and across the country.”“Through our 15 year partnership we’ve seen the tremendous success of NCFL’s family based model for literacy,” said Patricia Pineda, a native of Santa Paula and now group vice president of Toyota Motor North America, Inc. “It’s clear that the city of Santa Paula is committed to the Toyota Family Literacy Program and we’re excited about working together to create a lasting, positive impact on parents and children in this community.”
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(Photo at left) Glen City Elementary School teacher Gina Ramirez works with parents and their children in a demonstration of the Family Literacy Program. (Right photo) Herminia Tinajero, with her daughter Valarie (second from left), was awarded a certificate from the Santa Paula Elementary School District for participating in the Family Literacy Program. Also pictured (l-r) are Dr. Luis Villegas, SPESD Superintendent, Sharon Darling, President/Founder, National Center for Family Literacy, and Patricia Pineda, Group Vice President, Toyota Motors North America. Photos by Brian D. Wilson |
Santa Paula Elementary School District receives Toyota Family Literacy Grant
April 12, 2006
Santa Paula News
By Brian D. Wilson
Santa Paula TimesToyota has announced that three Santa Paula 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. Santa Paula schools will receive a total contribution of nearly $600,000 from Toyota, including a $350,000 grant to launch programs at Barbara Webster Elementary School, Glen City Elementary School and Grace Thille Elementary School. Toyota will also provide funding for three years of comprehensive support from NCFL including training, educational materials and assistance in launching the programs.In addition to Santa Paula, Toyota and NCFL announced the expansion of the Toyota Family Literacy Program into four other communities with high, or fast-growing, Hispanic populations: Chelsea (Boston), Mass.; Detroit; Shelby County, Ala.; and Denver. Contributions by Toyota for the five new programs total nearly $3 million.Initially developed in 2003 and introduced in Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Chicago and Providence, R.I., the Toyota Family Literacy Program 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 K - 3rd grade and their parents. TFLP is unique in that it incorporates NCFL’s multicultural family literacy model, which combines key components including: ESL courses, early childhood education, parenting education, Parent and Child Together (PACT) activities, and computer-literacy instruction.“The Toyota Family Literacy Program provides us with a wonderful opportunity for the Santa Paula Elementary School District to further help improve the literacy of students and entire families throughout the community,” said Dr. Luis Villegas, Jr., Superintendent, Santa Paula Elementary School District. “The most important aspect of this program is that it enables parents and children to learn together. The entire community will benefit from this grant by Toyota.”The first five communities that initiated the Toyota Family Literacy Program in 2003 have proven the success of NCFL’s model by achieving impressive results, including:* Significant literacy gains by adults, the majority of which improved their literacy scores by one or more levels;
