Name of the Project

Michigan Statewide Family Literacy Project: Weaving a Web of Infrastructure and Support

Grantee Contact

Renee De Mars-Johnson, Coordinator, Early Childhood & Parenting Programs

Michigan Dept. of Education

P.O. Box 30008

Lansing MI 48909

Tel: 517-373-8483

Fax: 517-335-0592

E-mail: demarsr@state.mi.us

Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Coordinator

[recently hired]

Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Initiative Project Goals

• To strengthen family literacy services by assuring there is a commonly held definition of what constitutes family literacy programs.
• To strengthen family literacy services by developing indicators of quality, successful family literacy programs.
• To provide further information about current Even Start projects by tabulating data, building a system for coding data, and reviewing local program evaluations.
• To strengthen and expand services, develop connections between service and component programs and programs offering family literacy services so they can contact other programs offering literacy or family literacy. Families in need of literacy services who would benefit from family literacy services will be connected to programs providing those services.
• With an ultimate goal of expanding programs, provide clear instructions and background data to promote the place of family literacy in educational improvement efforts, as well as the place family literacy serves in a variety of initiatives meant to strengthen Michigan families.
• To strengthen programs, a plan must be developed and new opportunities must be provided in professional development for those working in family literacy programs, taking into account the diverse backgrounds of the individuals who are served and the individuals who serve them, the strength of local Even Start programs, and the delivery system selected.

Project Description

Michigan's consortium was formed in _______. Michigan has a detailed plan for achieving its project goals, which is described in narrative and chart form and includes the following information for each goal:

• Need/Gap in Service
• Goals
• Activities
• Organization/Person Responsible
• Assessment Measure and Timeline
• Evidence of Success
• Expected Outcome

Priorities Addressed

• Using research on reading and literacy in program planning
• Implementing a professional development plan for staff
• Increasing the intensity of family literacy activities for school-age children (up to 7 years old)
• Improving local evaluation methods and practices
• Absolute Priority: Family Literacy Performance Indicators