A group educational program focusing on:

• Adult Basic Education and Literacy Development
• Early Childhood Enrichment Activities
• Parenting Skills
• Parent and Child Activities Time (P.A.C.T.)

Under-education and the poverty which results have created a trap that seems inescapable for many families. A parent without education lacks the skills to obtain a job and is left without an ability to support a family. What began as an education problem becomes an economic problem for the whole family. The poverty and lack of self-sufficiency which come from under-education is generational. Literacy is a family legacy handed down from generation to generation. Children whose parents are undereducated are at grave risk of continuing that cycle. To increase education and reduce poverty for this generation and those that follow, it is necessary to approach literacy as a family issue.

The Family Literacy Program, meeting four days a week, combines adult education, early childhood education, parent training and support, and parent/child interaction activities. Parents attend the program with their children (ages birth to six). The children participate in preschool activities while the adults work on various academic skills, as well as parenting and family development. The Family Literacy Program curriculum includes specific time when parents and children work and play together. Parents help their children learn in the classroom and they discover how to make learning occur at home.

This program is offered at two sites, one in the city and one in the county.

The Family Literacy Program serves an average of 300 families each year.