Family & Community Adult Education Family Literacy
Massachusetts Family Literacy Consortium

Our vision is successful families. Our mission is successful partnershps.

November is Family Literacy Month

An extensive body of research tells us that when schools develop strong working relationships with families and community partners in order to support students' academic progress and social and emotional well-being, the result is better educational and developmental outcomes for children. In recognition of this research, the Department has included family-school engagement as one of the eleven conditions for school effectiveness.

I am pleased to announce that Governor Patrick has proclaimed November 2011 to be Family Literacy Month. This marks the 15th year that the Commonwealth is acknowledging and celebrating the important role that families play in their children's literacy development. Family Literacy Month is an opportunity to engage parents, schools, and community partners to support children in out-of-school time learning.

I am pleased that so many schools, libraries, adult learning centers, parent support programs, social service agencies, and local businesses provide organized activities for families during Family Literacy Month. Many of these events involve hands-on literacy activities for parents and children that demonstrate ways parents can engage with their children at home. Storytelling, family mathematics nights, read alouds by authors and community leaders, interactive sing-a-longs, and creating books and bookmarks are other examples of celebratory activities. I encourage you to celebrate Family Literacy Month in your community and make use of these resources:

  

Governor Patrick's 2011 Proclamation of Massachusetts Family Literacy Month

The Executive Office of Education's Educational Resources for Parents and Care Givers web page

The Department's Family Literacy Month web page

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioner's web page (Information on November 2011 family literacy events will be posted later this month.)

The National Center for Family Literacy's Free Resources web page

The U.S. Department of Education's Parents web page

The Massachusetts Family Literacy Consortium (MFLC) and its member agencies sponsor this annual celebration to underscore the importance of education as a foundation for lifelong learning and family success. The MFLC is a statewide working group with the mission of forging effective partnerships among state agencies, community organizations, and other interested parties to expand and strengthen family literacy and family engagement. The Consortium promotes early literacy and family engagement in children's learning in order to achieve the goal of reading proficiency by the end of grade 3.

Member agencies include:

State Agencies

• Children's Trust Fund
• Commonwealth Corporation
• Department of Children and Families
• Department of Early Education and Care
• Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
• Department of Housing and Community Development
• Department of Mental Heath
• Department of Public Health
• Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners
• Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants

Organizations and Programs

• Boston Children's Museum
• Even Start Family Literacy Program
• Massachusetts Head Start Association
• Massachusetts Adult Basic Education Directors' Council
• MASSCAP (Massachusetts Association for Community Action)
• Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education
• Massachusetts Literacy Foundation
• Massachusetts Reading Association
• Raising a Reader
• ReadBoston
• System for Adult Basic Education Support

For more information, visit http://www.doe.mass.edu/familylit/mflc.html.

For the Department's Conditions for School Effectiveness, visit http://www.doe.mass.edu/sda/review/school/process.html?section=essential.

If your community would like to share activities that will be conducted in November, please email the information to: adale@doe.mass.edu in the following format: