Name of the Project

Missouri Family Literacy Initiative (MOFLI)

Grantee Contact

Barry Freedman, Executive Director

LIFT-Missouri

500 Northwest Plaza, Suite 601

St. Ann MO 63074

Tel: 314-291-4443

Fax: 314-291-7385

E-mail: barryf@webster.edu

Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Coordinator

Jeri Levesque, Project Director

MO Dept. of Education

500 Northwest Plaza, Suite 601

St. Ann MO 63074

Tel: 314-291-4443

Fax: 314-291-7385

E-mail: levesqjr@webster.edu

Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Initiative Project Goals

• Through the leadership of the consortium, establish family literacy as a high-profile educational issue and build Missouri's capacity to implement high-quality and sustainable family literacy programs to improve the educational opportunities of Missouri's low-income families.
• Establish accountability criteria for measuring program quality, standards of effective practice, and indicators of participants' performance.
• Enhance family literacy practitioners’ utilization of program standards and performance indicators through comprehensive Statewide professional development.
• Create a formal plan to integrate Even Start and family literacy into the broader array of services for low-income families in Missouri.
• Develop and adopt a two-tiered comprehensive model of program outcomes evaluation inclusive of the new standards and indicators.

Project Description

The Missouri Family Literacy Initiative (MOFLI) Consortium was formed in March 1998. During year one, the consortium will focus on developing indicators of program quality. During year two, the MOFLI will provide a wide variety of professional development and technical assistance activities. Missouri’s plan includes detailed objectives and activities to achieve the above stated goals.

Priorities Addressed

• Using research on reading and literacy in program planning
• Implementing a professional development plan for staff
• Increasing the intensity of family literacy activities for school-age children (up to 7 years old)
• Improving local evaluation methods and practices
• Absolute Priority: Family Literacy Performance Indicators