OREANDA-NEWS. On March 22, 2007 Toyota announced that three Winston-Salem elementary schools will be among the newest sites for its successful Toyota Family Literacy Program (TFLP), reported the press-centre of  Toyota. 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.  Toyota has contributed $600,000 to fund the program at Easton Elementary School, Latham Elementary School and Old Town Elementary School. The three schools all have Hispanic student enrollment of at least 50%.

 
TFLP - which got its start in 2003 and is now functioning in 10 cities across the U.S. - 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 kindergarten to third 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. Toyota has donated $26 million to the program since its inception.


In addition to the launch at these three schools, the funding will allow NCFL to provide comprehensive support for training, educational materials and assistance at each site. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is working hand-in-hand with NCFL to implement the family literacy program.
Besides Winston-Salem, four other cities are part of the latest expansion of the family literacy program: Chula Vista, Calif., Wichita, Kan., San Antonio, Texas, and Orlando, Fla. A total of 155 school districts submitted applications for the five spots, all vying for part of the overall $3 million grant from Toyota. "It is a great honor to be one of the few school districts to receive this grant," said Dr. Don Martin, superintendent, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. "If parents can improve their reading skills, they will be better able to help their children excel in school".