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The First Lady's Family Literacy Initiative for Texas
A Program of The Barbara Bush Texas Fund for Family Literacy

AVANCE-WACO WINS PRESTIGIOUS GRANT FROM THE FIRST LADY’S FAMILY LITERACY INITATIVE FOR TEXAS

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	                CONTACT: Bereniz Moreno
          July 7, 2008			         254-296-0449
 

The First Lady’s Family Literacy Initiative for Texas awarded a $50,000 grant to AVANCE in Waco to fund the development of English proficiency and literacy among non-English speaking families in Waco. AVANCE’s program components include providing basic literacy instruction for parents while they are learning to speak English, coordinating high quality, research based preschool education for children ages 0-3, organizing before and after school reinforcement, observing parent and children interaction, providing feedback for improved communication, and tracking parent and student progress. AVANCE is one of ten grant recipients chosen in the annual grant competition.

Winners of the First Lady’s Family Literacy Initiative for Texas annual grant competition for 2008 have been announced, bringing the total number of grants to 129 since the Initiative began. This will be 13th year of providing grants for family literacy projects. Launched at the Governor’s Mansion in Austin in 1996 by Mrs. Laura Bush, who is the Honorary Chair, the First Lady’s Family Literacy Initiative has awarded over $3 million to create or expand family literacy programs in which parents, as well as their children, build their literacy skills by reading and learning together. To date, thousands of families have benefited from participation in these innovative programs in 66 Texas cities, and the Initiative is still going strong. This year, ten grants totaling nearly $500,000 were awarded.

"Children who are strong readers have the one skill most essential to success in school and in life. Parents can help their children become better readers by reading with them," said Mrs. Laura Bush. "These family programs make a wonderful difference in the lives of many children and parents across Texas."

A program of the Barbara Bush Texas Fund for Family Literacy, the First Lady’s Family Literacy Initiative for Texas awards grants of up to $50,000 to public and private non-profit organizations that work within the family unit. Technical assistance for the new grantees is provided by the Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning at Texas A & M University in College Station.

The Barbara Bush Texas Fund for Family Literacy, which is based in Houston, Texas, receives the majority of its funding from the annual fundraisers, A Celebration of Reading, held in Houston and Dallas. These literacy events, at which best selling authors read aloud from their works, also fund The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, the national foundation of which Barbara Bush is the Honorary Chair.

For 6 years, AVANCE-Waco has provided parenting and early childhood education, and comprehensive family support services to low-income Hispanic families of children between birth and three years of age. AVANCE Waco Board Chair Dr. Cynthia Hernandez is “proud of this recognition. The success of AVANCE lies in the success of our parent and child graduates who have enhanced their education and make our community better through their own contributions.”

The nine other grant recipients are: Austin Community College Austin Learning Academy Bryan ISD Carrizo Springs CISD Community Action, Inc. of Hays, Caldwell, & Blanco Counties - San Marcos Corpus Christi ISD Mi Escuelita Preschool, Dallas Mt. Pleasant ISD Plano ISD Education Foundation

More information about the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and the Texas Fund can be found at: www.barbarbushfoundation.com.