FamilyLiteracyDiscusstion
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[NIFL-FAMILY:1902] Prison Family Literacy
From: Lobaccaro Gina \(DOC\) (Gina.Lobaccaro@state.de.us)
Date: Wed Aug 04 2004 - 10:29:03 EDT
I am new to this list and I am not sure if I am posting properly. I teach in a small rural prison in southern Delaware. I will be taking part in a pilot family literacy program. I will, most likely, be teaching a class to the fathers (inmate/students) as they prepare for family visits. We are working with a local adult education program. They will provide the programming for the mother/care-giver and the child. The fathers are already in ABE/GED programs, but I am seeking recommendations or suggestions for the parenting class that I will most likely teach. Please send me suggestions, resouces, websites....
Thanks in advance
Gina Lobaccaro
gina.lobaccaro@state.de.us
The following are the responses to my question:
Thank you so much for such wonderful responses to my post....
I have listed the responses, and now I will start preparing myself.
Gina,
Here in California Jane Curtis developed this resource: F.A.T.H.E.R.S.: Fathers as Teachers: Helping, Encouraging, Reading, Supporting Program Guide. ISBN: 1-893834-01-8 $25.00. Available from the California State Library Foundation. http://www.cslfdn.org/pub.html Abstract: This guide contains a rationale and13 lessons for a prison family literacy program developed at San Quentin State Prison in California. It is designed to intervene in the cycle of incarceration and illiteracy seen in families of incarcerated individuals. The program has three components: classroom instruction (literacy tutoring) for fathers, gift books for the children of the fathers in the class, and monthly visitation storytimes.
Doris Ivy
OTAN Technology Librarian
Sacramento County Office of Education
10474 Mather Blvd.
P.O. Box 269003
Sacramento, CA 95826-9003
916-228-2580
In CA only 800-894-3113
Gina,
I recently attended a wonderful workshop at the Center of the Book in the Library of Congress. It highlighted 12 family literacy library programs that were awarded Viburnum Foundation grants. The program from Clay County, AL works with a Teens in Trouble program, and partners with the probation officer. The library contact person for that program is
Shirley Spears
Director
B.B. Comer Memorial Library
Sylacauga, AL
256-249-096.
Another program that was included in the "Reading Powers the Mind" Viburnum worshop was in Grenada, MS. Valinda Smith was the coordinator of the program that formed a partnership with the Grenada county Jail/Correctional Services Corporation to offer family literacy workshops for inmate parents. Ms Smith's contact information is:
Valinda Smith
Program Coordinator
Family Literacy Project
Elizabeth Jones Library
Grenada, MS
662-226-7462
Another contact I made at the workshop was from the Office of Juvenile Justice, Delinquency Prevention in DC. Contact info:
William Woodruff
Deputy Administrator
202-616-1160
Nicky Polk, Administrative Asst.
202-616-1169
Here in WV, I am working with a few literacy volunteer councils and libraries on starting programs using the Scholastic Publisher's "Reading Starts with Us" Workshop Series. website: www.shop.scholastic.com - teacher sstore. Another family literacy instructional kid that works well in caregiver reading instruction is from the New Reader's Press. It is the "Family Reading" program. website: www.newreaderspress.com
Hope this has been benefical to you.
Please stay in contact,
Peace,
Susan Hayden
Adult Services Consultant
West Virginia Library Commission
1900 Kanawha BLVD, E
Charleston, WV 25305
1-800-642-9021 (toll free in WV only)
1-304-558-3978, ext. 2014
haydens@wvlc.lib.wv.us
I would suggest the resource: "Bringing Family Literacy to Incarcerated Settings: An Instructional Guide", developed by the Hudson River Center in New York and found at: http://www.nyadulted.org/. The guide was created to assist anyone interested in implementing a family literacy project within an incarcerated setting. It includes a description of various program designs as well as a blueprint for implementation. Resources and sample forms are provided. Actual providers contributed substantially to the development of the document.
Mike Sobkowski
Family Literacy Coordinator
Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education
PA Department of Education
msobkowski@state.pa.us
You may find information on the Verizon Literacy Campus (VLC) site, www.literacycampus.org. Check out the course, Volunteers in Parent Education, for some ideas and tools for working with parents; all VLC courses are self-paced, online, and take no more than 60 minutes to complete at no cost to you.
Jane Martel Mencer
Instructional Designer
National Center for Family Literacy
325 West Main Street, Suite 300
Louisville, KY 40202-4237
phone: 502/584-1133 ext 169
fax: 502/584-0172
e-mail: jmencer@famlit.org
Another good resource for reading strategies, lessons, and activities for parents and teachers of young children is http://www.readingrockets.org. There is a link on the site to Color in Colorado, a site that has useful information in Spanish, if those in your population are in need of bilingual materials.
Depending on your budget, you may want to look into the Motheread/Fatheread program, http://www.motheread.com. It is a literacy curriculum that teaches parents how to read with their children while building upon adult literacy skills. It was originally developed with incarcerated mothers. ( You have to be trained in the program to deliver it.)
Katy Kibbey
Wayne-Metro CAA
Even Start Coordinator
2622 Florian
Hamtramck, MI 48212
(313) 874-1353
kkibbey@waynemetro.org
Hi Gina,
A couple of great online resources (complete with free handouts) are http://www.ed.gov, - click on "Parents." Here you'll find information for parents supporting their children's literacy efforts. Also - www.firstgov.gov - on this site go to the "By Audience" heading at the bottom of the home page and click on "Parents." Here you'll find lots of parenting tip sheets for parents with children of all ages. Hope this helps!
Others out there - what are your suggestions for parenting resources?
Debbie Nichols
Director, Outreach Services
National Center for Family Literacy
325 W. Main St. - Ste. 300
Louisville, KY 40202
Ph: (502) 584-1133 x 152
Fax: (502) 584-0172
E-mail: dnichols@famlit.org
Hi Gina,
One place you could look for resources is the Family Literacy Special Collection. If you follow this link http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/FamilyLit/pract_parented.html it will take you directly to the parent education resources. I'm sure others on the list will have more suggestions. Good luck with your program. Sounds great.
Dianna B.
OLRC
