Toyota expands national family learning program to Huntsville, Ala.
Village of Promise (VoP) in Huntsville, Ala., is the 15th community to become part of the Toyota Family Learning program and receive a 3-year, $175,000 grant. Huntsville Toyota Family Learning supports VoP’s mission of eradicating generational poverty in Huntsville, Ala., neighborhoods by providing a pipeline of cradle-to-career services for an area where 60.9 percent of the population falls within the federal poverty threshold.
VoP’s Toyota Family Learning community joins Plano, Texas; Las Vegas; Louisville, Ky.; and Fort Lauderdale, Fla, and has already enrolled over 90 parents and children in its newest programming.
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Toyota Family Learning is giving families the tools they need to be involved in their children’s education, get better jobs and be more engaged in their own neighborhoods,” said Dr. Kreslyn Kelley-Ellis, executive director, Village of Promise. “It’s not just the families being uplifted; they’re giving back to the community through Family Service Learning projects.”
Parents and their children spend time each Saturday learning together in this free program. In addition to gaining skills to help their children succeed in and outside the classroom, parents also build important technology, language literacy, and job skills during the week.
“My family is growing closer together through the activities we learn in the program,” said Olivia Garfias, Toyota Family Learning participant. “Finding a way to make learning fun keeps my three kids engaged and I can see them becoming more comfortable expressing themselves to others.”
Research shows that strong family support helps children succeed in school.
Independent evaluations show that among families graduating from Toyota Family Learning in 2015:
- 90% of parents increased their engagement in their children’s education
- 96% of parents became better teachers to their children
- 75% of parents increased their English language skills
- 34% of parents got a better job
“Families are learning the skills they need to flourish,” said Mayor Tommy Battle. “Toyota Family Learning helps them gain the tools needed to better contribute to our community – through getting involved in their children’s school, getting better jobs, being more engaged in their own neighborhood and giving back through Family Service Learning projects.”
This year, NCFL and Toyota celebrate 25 years of partnership. Since 1991, more than 2 million families across the country have been impacted by programs developed by NCFL – a pioneer in the concept of families learning and serving together to raise literacy levels and improve communities. NCFL-Toyota site-based programs have been brought to life in nearly 60 cities across the U.S.
“Toyota is proud to partner with NCFL to bring this innovative and engaging program to Huntsville,” said Jim Bolte, president, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama, Inc. “This proactive and results-oriented program bridges the gap between classroom and lifelong learning so that people can find success on the road of life.”