The 2014 ProLiteracy Conference will take place in Charleston, SC and focus on issues such as technology and innovation, methodology and instruction, and GED preparation.

English Forward Workshop

November 13 - 14, Orlando

A free workshop that teaches participants a free research based training system for language instruction. Participants receive instructor guide, teaching tips, and a curriculum covering 60 - 100 hours of instruction.

IPDAE Fall Workshops ESOL Workshop for Career and College Readiness Standards

Fall '15, Multiple Locations

This workshop will provide participants with an understanding and awareness of the College and Career Readiness Standards for Florida's adult ESOL program. Other Workshops offered in the fall include: CCRABES Math Workshop Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) Training Reading Instruction for ABE. Please visit IPDAE for dates, locations and details

Florida Literacy Coalition Online Course Webinar

November 5, Online

A free introduction to the FLC Online Tutor Training course which will be available in the fall.

Literacy Resources

The LIBRE Institute's High School Diploma Initiative
In an effort to combat the rising rate of high school drop-outs within the Hispanic community, The LIBRE Institute (a 501(c)3 branch of The LIBRE Initiative) has partnered with Essential Education to create the High School Diploma Initiative (HSDI). Available to residents of Miami and Orlando, the HSDI offers a free online GED'prep course to those selected to participate. Students will also receive a voucher to take the GED®test upon successful completion of the program.

Blended Learning Guide

Published by Essential Education, this free guide is both an introduction and a step-by-step guide to implementation of a blended learning model for adult education.

Funding Sources

BJ's Charitable Foundation

Deadline: October 9, 2015

BJ's Charitable Foundation has many funding programs including the Fuel Your Fundraiser Program and the Local Giving Initiative. You can learn more about these programs by visiting the BJ's Charitable Foundation website.

Wish You Well Foundation

Deadline: Ongoing (applications reviewed quarterly)

The Wish You Well Foundation supports family literacy programs throughout the year. Please see their application guidelines if you are interested in learning more.

FLC Launches New Online Tutor Training Course

FLC is excited to announce the launch of the 2.0 Online Tutor Training Course!

This course will engage users with interactive elements, feature a new and easy to navigate interface. Along with being more engaging, the new course has updated content and more resources available to tutors. While this course is designed for new tutors/teachers, seasoned instructors may also benefit from the specific instructional strategies.

Save the Date: 32nd Annual Florida Literacy Conference

Join hundreds of adult and family literacy practitioners, volunteers, and adult learners to network, develop new skills, and share promising practices.

Date: May 4 - May 6, 2016
Location: Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront, St. Petersburg, FL

The conference will offer a wide range of sessions presented by local, state, and national educators. Sessions promise to be interactive and are sure to expand your knowledge on a variety of topics related to adult education, ESOL, and Family Literacy. For information on conference rates and hotel information, check out FLC's conference website.

Call for Presenters

Do you have a something to share with Florida's literacy practitioners? We are now accepting proposals for workshop presentations and invite you to take this opportunity to share your knowledge and showcase your programs. The deadline is December 16, 2015, so submit your proposal soon!

Submit your proposal by filling out this form.

USDOE Launches Second Chance Pell Pilot Program for Incarcerated Individuals

The US Department of Education recently announced that it will reinstate Pell grants to a limited number of prisoners seeking college degrees. This will be the first time that incarcerated individuals will have access to Pell grants since Congress expressly excluded prisoners from the program in 1994. Established in 1972 as the Basic Educational Opportunity Grants, the Pell program provides grants to college students according to financial need. For the upcoming year, the maximum grant is $5,775.

Wells Fargo Financial Literacy Grant Recipients Announced

The Florida Literacy Coalition and Wells Fargo would like to congratulate the following recipients of $5,000 financial literacy grants:

Adult Literacy League
City of Hialeah
DePorres Place, Inc.
DeSoto County Education Foundation, Inc.
Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO)
Florida State College at Jacksonville
Lake County Library Services
Learn to Read, Inc.

Selected through a competitive application process, these organizations will develop projects to integrate financial education into their adult education, literacy, family literacy or ESOL instruction. This statewide program also provides a special conference track on financial literacy and other training opportunities for teachers, tutors and administrators on how to effectively incorporate financial information into their curriculum.

Southwest Airlines Ticket Contest 2015

Southwest Airlines has once again partnered with the Florida Literacy Coalition to give you the opportunity to raise funds for literacy! Your organization could be one of seven to win two round-trip airlines tickets that can be used for any Southwest destination in the continental U.S. Tickets can be used until August 30, 2016.

English Forward Workshop - November 13& 14 in Orlando

The FLC has partnered with the Literacy Coalition of Central Texas to give prospective tutors and tutor trainers an opportunity to learn about the English Forward training system. English Forward is a comprehensive system for ESL programs, developed by experts in the field, including Dr. Heide Spruck Wrigley. Participants of the workshop will receive 11 hours of instructor training, an instructor guide, curriculum, and access to a web portal and training-of-trainers online training series.

Florida Health Literacy Initiative Celebrates Another Successful Year!

Seventeen partner organizations, receiving health literacy grants in 2014-2015, reported a banner year in their efforts to teach adults and families about health and nutrition. These programs provided health literacy instruction to over 3,000 students, exceeding the Initiative's goal by 160%!

Seventy-four percent of students showed measurable improvement in their health literacy knowledge and, on average, students' performance on a post-course assessment improved by 22% from the pre-course assessment. The majority of students shared the information they learned with friends and/or family and eighty-eight percent would recommend the program to someone they know. Ninety-five percent of teachers felt that their students were better prepared to ask questions of their doctor.

Staying Healthy Videos

October is Health Literacy month and with the support of the Florida Department of Education and AmeriCorps VISTA, FLC has created health literacy videos designed to supplement the "Staying Healthy" student resource book.

These videos can be used during instruction as a way to engage students and spark conversations about health. The videos cover three topic areas:

Staying Healthy

Nutrition

Healthcare

To see these videos and the other Staying Healthy curriculum materials, please visit our Health Literacy website.

LINCS Launches Online Resource Center for Adult Learners

LINCS, a program of the U.S. Department of Education, has launched a new resources site with a range of free educational websites and resources specifically for adult learners. The LINCS Learner Center aims to connect adult learners with free online resources from federal agencies and funded organizations.

XPRIZE Invites Applications for Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy Competition

Deadline: December 8, 2015

XPRIZE in partnership with the Dollar General Literacy Foundation is accepting applications for the Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy XPRIZE.

The global competition challenges teams to develop a mobile application for existing smart devices that results in a significant increase in literacy skills among participating adult learners in a twelve-month period. The solutions shall overcome key barriers to literacy learning, increase literacy retention, and be able to be scalable to meet demand.

U.S. Department of Education Releases Two Vision Documents to Support Implementation of WIOA

The Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) released two vision documents on August, 17, 2015, as a framework to help states and local areas implement the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). These documents address Adult Education and Family Literacy providers and Vocational Rehabilitation Service providers. Please see the following for more information:

Vision for the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act in the Workforce System

Initial Implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and Vision for the State Rehabilitation Services Program as a Partner in the Workforce Development System under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

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Staff Update

The Florida Literacy Coalition is happy to welcome Catherine Hearing as our new Health and Financial Literacy Coordinator, Wesley Pratt as our Event Management Intern, and Nicole Caban as our new Education and Training Coordinator. To learn more please visit our staff page.

e- Literacy News is a publication of Florida's Adult and Family Literacy Resource Center, a program of the Florida Literacy Coalition. It is made possible through the support of the Florida Department of Education, Division of Career and Adult Education.