NCFL receives grant from MetLife Foundation

NCFL is excited to announce a new opportunity to explore, enrich and create partnerships between family literacy efforts and community colleges. The goal of this new project, made possible by MetLife Foundation, is to help provide a smooth transition for students from literacy programs to higher education. We will embark upon a two-year project starting this month that will include:

• Researching existing partnerships between family literacy programs and community colleges.
• Identifying needs and best practices.
• Developing a practical set of tools for programs, community colleges and families, so they can help adult learners effectively navigate the higher education system.

The award is timely: Many adult students across the country are enrolled in literacy programs administered by a community or technical college. While adult students make great strides in literacy programs, moving on to higher education is still a daunting challenge for many. This new project will help create clearer and more structured partnerships between family literacy efforts and community college teachers and administrators — and help more adult students and their families achieve their higher education goals.

This project is generously supported by MetLife Foundation.

NCFL will form an advisory group for the project and document best practices. Please let us hear from you: Do you have successful partnerships with community colleges? What efforts do you have under way to help students transition from literacy programs to higher education? We’d love to hear from you.

— Emily Kirkpatrick