Thread: Toyota Launches Literacy Program for Hispanic families

http://www.famlit.org/AboutNCFL/PressRo ... helsea.cfm

Toyota Launches Literacy Program for Hispanic and
Other Immigrant Families in Chelsea, Mass.

Contributes Nearly $3 Million to Expand Program to Five Additional Cities Nationwide

March 10, 2006 – Chelsea, Mass. - Toyota today announced that three Chelsea, Mass., schools will be among the newest sites for its successful Toyota Family Literacy Program (TFLP). TFLP — the first nationwide program of its kind to focus on the needs of Hispanic and other immigrant families — is coordinated by the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), the country’s leading advocate for family literacy. Chelsea Schools will receive a total contribution of nearly $600,000 from Toyota, including a $350,000 grant to launch programs at George Kelly Elementary School, Frank Sokolowski Elementary School and the John Silber Early Learning Center. Toyota will also provide funding for three years of comprehensive support from NCFL including training, educational materials and assistance in launching the programs.


Pictured from left are Pat Pineda, Group Vice President, Toyota Motor North America, Abril Bocanegra and Irma Mendoza.

In addition to Chelsea, Toyota and NCFL announced the expansion of the Toyota Family Literacy Program into four other communities with high, or fast-growing, Hispanic populations, including Detroit; Shelby County, Ala.; Santa Paula, Calif.; and Denver. Contributions by Toyota for the five new programs total nearly $3 million.

Initially developed in 2003 and introduced in Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Chicago and Providence, R.I., the Toyota Family Literacy Program aims to increase basic language and literacy skills among Hispanic and other immigrant families, and provide parents with the skills they need to help their children succeed in school. The program specifically serves children in K – 3rd grade and their parents. TFLP is unique in that it incorporates NCFL’s multicultural family literacy model which combines key components including: ESL courses, early childhood education, parenting education, Parent and Child Together (PACT) activities, and computer-literacy instruction.

“The generosity of the Toyota Family Literacy Program presents a wonderful opportunity for the Chelsea School Department to work even more closely with the families of our students,” said Dr. Thomas Kingston, Superintendent, ChelseaPublic Schools. “Toyota and Chelsea have long shared the view that families must be directly involved in the education of their children, and this grant will enable us to expand educational opportunities in the city.”

The first five communities that initiated the Toyota Family Literacy Program in 2003 have proven the success of NCFL’s model by achieving impressive results, including:

Significant literacy gains by adults, the majority of which improved their literacy scores by one or more levels;
Ratings for children in the program that exceeded peers in areas including academic performance, motivation to learn, attendance, classroom behavior, involvement in classroom activities, and other areas;
70% of participating families holding a library card by the end of the first program year;
Waiting lists at the majority of program sites due to high demand.
“We’re very proud that Toyota has expanded our partnership following the success of the Toyota Family Literacy Program over the past several years,” said Sharon Darling, NCFL founder and president. “Our goal is to continue to meet the pressing needs of Hispanic and other immigrant families both in Chelsea and across the country.”

“Ever since we partnered with NCFL more than 15 years ago, we’ve seen the tremendous success that its programs have had in increasing family literacy and bringing families together to learn,” said Patricia Pineda, group vice president of Toyota Motor North America, Inc. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to share in NCFL’s efforts in Chelsea and are excited to introduce the Toyota Family Literacy Program to schools and families here.”

ABOUT NCFL

The National Center for Family Literacy was established by Sharon Darling in 1989 with a grant from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust. For the past 17 years, NCFL has pioneered educational initiatives that open pathways to continuous life improvement for the nation’s most at-risk children and families. The organization has supported more than 150,000 teachers and thousands of volunteers, leading to positive gains for more than one million families. To learn more, call 1-877-FAMLIT or visit www.famlit.org.

ABOUT TOYOTA

Since 1991, Toyota and the National Center for Family Literacy have forged successful programs to promote family literacy in the United States. Toyota has contributed more than $23 million to help NCFL establish family literacy model programs throughout the country. Today, the Toyota/NCFL partnership accounts for over 196 family literacy sites in 33 cities and 24 states. As part of this partnership, the Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year award has been presented annually since 1997 and recognizes individual teachers’ contributions to improving literacy among youth and adults. Additional information on Toyota’s commitment to improving education nationwide is available at www.toyota.com/about/community/education/.
# # #

Contact:
Mira Sleilati
Toyota Motor North America, Inc.
(212) 715-7435
msleilati@tma.toyota.com

Brenda Logan
National Center for Family Literacy
(502) 584-1133 x134

Brenda Logan
Mary-Grace Fusco
Chelsea Public Schools
(617) 889-7520
fuscog@chelsea.mec.edu

I called Mira at Toyota, and said I would no longer support a company that supports a program geared towards the illegal population here in America...she was not happy, and I would suggest more of us give her a ring.

Originally Posted by PintoBean

I called Mira at Toyota, and said I would no longer support a company that supports a program geared towards the illegal population here in America...she was not happy, and I would suggest more of us give her a ring.

Did you call her just now and it seems you talked to her personally?

I found that article when I researching a completely different subject totally unrelated to illegal immigration but the headline stood out.

Yes, the number is her DIRECT DIAL NUMBER....some, let your fingers do the walking.

My fingers did not walk, they ran and had fun doing it

A few hundred calls from some of us might just see Toyota reconsidering it's participation in a program aimed at AIDING AND ABETTING illegals.

Originally Posted by PintoBean

Yes, the number is her DIRECT DIAL NUMBER....some, let your fingers do the walking.

Imagine that! :P The numbers were part of the article. Handy, huh?

It's all about selling cars....they see a vast new market in the illegals who now want to buy shiny cars with their new found "wealth." For some reason, around here they seem to drive either a Honda or Toyota.

There killin me, just D@&n killin me. In 2004, when I figured it was safe to do so I bought my wife a new Toyota Tundra Xtra Cab Pick-Up. She had wanted one for the longest time, it was a birthday present, in the color she wanted the most with the options she wanted too. Now everytime I look at it I will see a hated Ford F-150, supporters of Home Depot and Illegals......AAAAAHHHHH! NOOOOOO not Toyota!

How about Dodge ? The reason I ask is because where I live they are the only car dealership which has the entire place SURROUNDED by huge American flags and AMERICAN FLAGS ONLY.

It's a breath of fresh air. Are they still interested in American sovereignty for our nation ?