VMLC IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DALLAS CHILDREN'S THEATER WINS PRESTIGIOUS GRANT FROM THE FIRST LADY'S FAMILY LITERACY INITIATIVE FOR TEXAS

DALLAS (June 29, 2007) – The First Lady’s Family Literacy Initiative for Texas awarded a $50,000 grant to the Vickery Meadow Learning Center (VMLC) and Dallas Children’s Theater (DCT) to fund the development of Curtains up on Literacy!  Curtains up on Literacy is a new collaboration designed to enhance intergenerational bonds by expanding DCT’s theater arts literacy education to include parents and children in the Family Literacy Program at VMLC.   VMLC and DCT are one of eight grant recipients chosen in the annual grant competition.

 Winners of the First Lady’s Family Literacy Initiative for Texas annual grant competition for 2007 were announced in June, bringing the total number of grants to 118 since the Initiative began. This will be the 12^th 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 $2 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 65 Texas cities, and the Initiative is still going strong.  This year, eight grants totaling nearly $400,000 were awarded. 

“A child who can read is a child who can succeed in school and in life.  Parents demonstrate by participation and example that reading is a joy and books are treasures,” said Mrs. Laura Bush.  “The impact these family programs have cannot be measured simply by the number of participants, but more accurately by the depth of change and lasting impact in communities 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.

 VMLC was founded in 1997 as a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization to address the critical need for English literacy classes for non-English-speaking adults in the Vickery Meadow area of Dallas, an extremely high-density, low-income neighborhood.  An estimated 36,000 people live in this 2.68 square mile area, many of whom are immigrants and refugees.  Today, VMLC provides English literacy, pre-GED and GED classes at a variety of times on multiple levels to more 550 adult students a year.  The Early Childhood Education Program serves more than 150 of the young children of the daytime students each year.  Additionally, approximately 150 well trained and dedicated weekly volunteers support all programs.

 “Learning English is only the fist step for students at VMLC.  They must also develop the confidence and cultural knowledge to communicate effectively,” said Ms. Sarah Polley, Executive Director at VMLC.  “Enrichment opportunities, including cultural and life-skill activities, empower students to use their newly acquired language in every-day situations.” 

DCT was co-founded as a 501(c) 3 nonprofit in 1984 by Robyn Flatt.  A forum for artistic collaboration, DCT is a vital educational resource for area schools and the greater Dallas community.  With a $3 million budget and national family audience of 250,000, DCT is the largest professional family theater in the Southwest producing an 11-play season, primarily in the Rosewood Center for Family Arts.  DCT runs a national touring company, theater academy, and “arts-in-education” programs for North Texas public and private schools.  DCT pioneered innovative efforts in “arts-in-education” programming that has equipped Dallas-area schools with powerful resources.  The Student Matinee Performance Series offers excellent materials for teachers and students, and introduces over 50,000 children each season to the magic of live, professional theater.  Curtains Up On Reading (CUOR), since 1992, brings artists and educators together in the classroom, integrating drama, dance, music, and art into grade-level, core curriculum.  It is from this proven method of multi-sensory, arts-in-education instruction that Curtains Up on Literacy for both parents and their children is derived. 

The seven other grant recipients are:

AVANCE-Austin The Community Based Parent/Child Literacy program will enhance and expand the existing literacy programs by providing additional classes, including evening classes for fathers, as well as child care services.

Communities in Schools-Central Texas, Inc., Austin The ASPIRE Family Literacy Program will replicate program services at the Lucy Read Pre-kindergarten Demonstration School, providing an integrated, effective family literacy program with proven success to one of Austin’s neediest populations.

Deer Park Independent School District, Deer Park The Deer Park Family Literacy Program will enhance the current family literacy program by increasing the number of family reading workshops and providing additional books for families to take home.

Judson Independent School District, San Antonio The Judson Family Literacy Initiative will implement a family literacy project to enhance the current Even Start Program by serving 30 families, provide professional development for the staff, and develop a resource center for parents and children.

 Reach Across Houston The Reach Out for Tomorrow, Houston project is a joint initiative between Reach Across Houston and Iglesia Pentecostes Rey de Reyes Church to provide literacy instruction and services to 30 low-income Hispanic families.

 Richardson Independent School District Family Literacy Center, Richardson The Parenting for Academic Success:A Curriculum for Family Learning project will be implemented by hiring a Family Literacy Lead Teacher who will be the instructional specialist for the project. 

 Sisterhood of Faith in Action, Houston The Family Literacy Program in collaboration with Nitsch Elementary School in Klein ISD, will continue in it’s 5th year of serving low income families in the Acres Homes area of Houston.

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

 More information about Dallas Children’s Theater can be found at: www.dct.org.