Barbara Bush Texas Fund for Family Literacy Awards Disaster Recovery
Grants to Nine Texas Literacy Programs

 

The Barbara Bush Texas Fund for Family Literacy is awarding nine Texas
adult and family literacy programs with grants to assist in their
recovery from the recent natural disasters that affected the state,
including Hurricanes Ike and Dolly and Rio Grande River flooding.

Mrs. Barbara Bush said, "The recent storms and flooding have turned the
lives of many Texans upside-down. Their homes, workplaces, and schools,
as well as the infrastructures of their communities, have been damaged
or destroyed, and they must work hard to rebuild their dramatically
changed lives. 

By providing important support to literacy programs, the grants will
reach out to Texas families affected by the natural disasters and ensure
that they can continue to learn to read, write, and comprehend. Each of
the programs selected has made a difference in the past, and I hope that
with the help of these grants, they will continue to do so in the
future.

The Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning at Texas
A&M University and the BBTFFL worked together to identify programs to
receive one-time recovery grants, ranging from $8,300 to $20,000, for
costs related to natural disasters. The nine grants amount to $154,434
in total funding for disaster recovery. These expenses include
replacement of destroyed furnishings; equipment or instructional
materials not covered by insurance; rental of temporary classroom space;
outreach and recruitment expenditures to rebuild program enrollment; and
temporary additional personnel costs.

Technical assistance and evaluation for the Disaster Recovery Grant
projects will be provided by a project at TCALL under the leadership of
faculty Principal Investigator, Dr. Mary Alfred.

DISASTER RECOVERY GRANT RECIPIENTS

Brazosport College's English Literacy and Civics Education Program is
located 60 miles south of Houston in Freeport, Texas. The program's fall
semester began promisingly with 111 students. However, on September 10,
2008, a mandatory evacuation was issued for this coastal area, and
classes were subsequently canceled until September 22. Hurricane Ike
changed the students' lives in various ways: they lost their jobs; their
homes were damaged; they worked more hours; they lost their means of
transportation; or they relocated to another area. As a result 31% of
the program's students did not return once classes resumed. The grants
will support student outreach, recruitment, and retention activities, as
well as promote achievement, through expanded services. 

Clear Creek ISD English Literacy and Civics Program is located between
Houston and Galveston in an area particularly devastated by Hurricane
Ike. The storm damaged the homes of many program participates, forcing
them to move to temporary places such as hotels or the homes of
relatives. Many students' workplaces were affected, causing them to lose
their jobs or changed their work schedules. All schools and programs in
the Clear Creek ISD, including the English Literacy and Civics program,
were canceled for two weeks as damages to schools were accessed and
repaired, and families started to rebuild their lives. To enable more
students to attend classes regularly, this program will be funded to
expand and extend classes into June, and implement marketing and
retention efforts to improve attendance. 

The College of the Mainland Adult Education Program is Galveston
County's primary provider of adult basic education, English as a second
language instruction, and GED preparation. The program has always been
accessible for Galveston's citizens due to its multiple locations in the
area. Unfortunately it lost classroom space in several of these places
in Hurricane Ike. The funds will help obtain temporary classroom space,
find and equip permanent classroom space, and replace lost textbooks.
Also, as many of the students had to move because of their damaged
homes, the funding will help the program remain accessible to its
students by providing web-based instruction, and conducting marketing
and recruitment efforts to ensure students are aware of changed
locations and the program's continued operation. 

Literacy Advance of Houston is working to rebuild two of their sites. On
September 12, 2008, Hurricane Ike swept through the Houston area,
tearing off the roof of Literacy Advance's Bay Area office and
destroying everything inside. High winds damaged and water drenched the
program's Wilcrest Drive office, causing mold to grow in the interior
walls and carpet. By using the grant to help fund its "Take A Hike Ike
Recovery Project" to replace lost instructional materials, equipment and
staff, Literacy Advance will be able to continue providing adult basic
education tutoring, English as a second language instruction and family
literacy programs at these two sites. 

Lone Star College - North Harris Adult Education's facility was
fortunate to escape physical damages in Hurricane Ike. However,
infrastructure disruptions in the area caused the program to be closed
from September 11 to September 25 and its adult students subsequently
lost 709 classroom hours. The College will be funded to help students
make up these important hours by extending 20 English as a Second
Language classes, 18 GED preparatory classes, and 7 English literacy and
civics classes for two weeks beyond the spring semester's scheduled
ending date. Lone Star College provides adult education services to
residents in the north Houston area. 

The Lyford Even Start Family Literacy Program's facility, located in the
southern tip of coastal Texas, experienced extensive damages in
Hurricane Dolly, and classrooms and instructional materials were
destroyed. While the building was fortunately insured and has been
repaired, their childcare playground infrastructure and some contents of
the building were not insured and must be repaired or replaced for the
program to retain its status as a state-licensed childcare facility.
This license enables the program to participate in the Texas Early
Education Model Project and remain eligible for state childcare funds.
The funding provided by the grants will repair the infant outdoor
playground area and replace destroyed classroom furniture, toys and
books. 

Pregnancy & Parenting Support Center (PPSC) is a faith-based program in
Galveston County that provides free educational services, practical
household and infant supplies, and important encouragement to pregnant
women and to mothers with children under the age of three. Hurricane Ike
flooded the Center with eight feet of water, and many of the mothers
lost their homes and possessions and were forced to relocate within the
County. By traveling throughout the Galveston area and offering
"Read-To-Me" classes to mothers and their young children, the center
will use the funds to re-establish contact with their former clients, as
well as meet prospective clients. 

The Presidio English Literacy and Civics Education Program is the only
adult education program serving Presidio County, an area devastated by
the disastrous flooding of the Rio Grand River. In addition to flooded
homes and closed workplaces, the border crossing between the United
States and Mexico upon which the local economy depends was closed for
three weeks. Job losses in other parts of the state have also affected
this area, with people moving to join their extended family in Presidio,
where jobs were already in short supply. These disruptions and
demographic shifts have resulted in smaller class sizes, fewer students
and low attendance at the program. Therefore, it will be funded to
employ a temporary recruitment assistant to reach out to and work with
former and potential students. 

Region 5 Education Service Center Adult Education provides education
services to adults in Jasper, Newton, and Tyler Counties, which was an
area still recovering from Hurricane Rita when Hurricane Ike hit in
September. Preliminary damage estimates following Ike indicate
disaster-related costs for this tri-county area to be over $97 million.
Residents endured prolonged power outages, road closures, gas shortages,
and interruptions to work and school. Tyler County suffered so much
damage that county officials allowed no outside traffic to pass through
for several days. While the Center's buildings received only minor
damage, at least 25 percent of its student population did not return to
class after Ike. It will be funded to implement an aggressive student
recruitment, outreach and retention initiative. 

Contact:
Harriet Vardiman Smith, Director, Texas Center for the Advancement of
Literacy & Learning (800-441-7323)

 

---------------------------------------------

Harriet Vardiman Smith, Director
Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning
<http://www-tcall.tamu.edu/> 
Texas A&M University



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