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Item C38 Revised 3/99 BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY ~eeting Date:_09/20/00 Bulk Item: Yes ~ No 0 Division: Community Services Department: Library Services AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Approval for Mayor to execute and Library Director to submit FY 2000-2001 Florida Library Literacy Grant application. ITEM BACKGROUND: The mission of this state-funded, community-based grant program is to support family literacy and learning programs statewide through public libraries. PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION: None STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Approval. TOTAL COST: $24,968 BUDGETED: Yes 0 No ~ COST TO COUNTY: $6,350 (In-kind match of administrative salaries; no additional staffing required.) REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes 0 No ~ AMOUNT PER MONTH YEAR APPROVED BY: COUNTY ATTY ~MB/PU CHASING ~RISK MANAGEMENT ~ J ,(l' DIVISION DIRECTOR APPROVAL: DIVISION DIRECTOR NAME: Jame DOCUMENTATION: INCLUDED: f.gI TO FOLLOW: 0 NOT REQUIRED: 0 DISPOSITION: AGENDA ITEM #: J .. C ?>i' MONROE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS GRANT SUMMARY Date: 9-20-00 Grant Name: Florida Library Literacy Grant Grant Period: November 2000-0ctober 2001 Funding Agency: Florida Department of State, Division of Library & Information Services Application Deadline: September 1, 2000 Project Description: This is a Family Literacy grant application for Monroe County Public Libraries. The purpose of this state-funded, community-based grant program is to support family literacy and learnina proarams statewide through public libraries. GRANT COSTS Total Project CostS 24,968 Grant$ 18,618 Match:$6,350 (In-kind match of admin. salaries and postage. ) (Grant funds include administrative costs) ESTIMATED ONGOING COST: $0 (Not included in dollar value above) For: (eg. maintenance, utilities, janitorial, salaries, etc.) GRANT REVIEW Division Director Date In . '1-6...-' (V fJ Ji) IfD Department Head OMB FORM Revised 1123/96 Date Out 7 is IOJ --- 11Uf --- 813/1(6) '1ISi (5 ~/dV q\S)oc . Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services Florida Library Literacy Grant APPLICA TION Application Due: September 1. 2000 LIBRARY I;iQRGANIZA TION NAME Monroe County Public Library MAILING ADDRESS 700 Fleming Street, Key West, Florida 33040 PHONE # 305-292-3594 FAX # 305-295-3626 CONTACT PERSON Anne Layton Rice E-MAIL ADDRESSannelaytonrice@ivillage.com FEID # 59-60007459 CONTRACTING AGENCY NAME Monroe Board of County Commissioners PROJECT NAME Southernmost Library Family Literacy Initiative GRANT FUNDS REQUESTED $18,618 LIBRARY SERVICE AREA POPULATION: 85,500 NUMBER PERSONS TO BE SERVED BY THE PROJECT: 1,000 PROJECT SUMMARY: (Do not exceed the space provided) The Monroe County Public Library system has no active literacy program in place at this time. This library-based Family Literacy project would provide families with books for a home library, introduce them to the libraries' resources for life skills, and encourage them to continue their studies. Health and educational outreach agencies would be utilized to recruit families for the project. These would be families identified as at-risk for jeopardized developmental, economic and educational futures. While their health and parenting needs are being identified and addressed by these agencies, this project would introduce a literacy and library resource component in their curriculum. Typed Name and Signature of Library I Organization Director Date Florida Library Literacy Grants DLlSIFLL01, Effective 4-4-00 Narrative 1. Introduction The Florida Keys are an elongated, arching chain of nearly 822 low-lying islands, over 120 miles in length, connected by a single overseas highway. Given Monroe County's shape, every service, every county function must recur repeatedly to effectively serve its 85,000 residents. Population density is 82 people per square mile. Even with five library branches, there is a span of 20-100 miles in between them. Monroe County has the highest cost of living in Florida, and the county seat, Key West, ranks as the fourth most expensive housing market in the United States. In sharp contrast, the average salary for a Monroe County resident is 15% below the state average. Monroe County is in the median of state rankings for persons at and below the poverty level. These demographics suggest a great divide between upper and lower economic status. The Monroe County Public Library system is a department of the county's Community Services division and consists of five branches providing a total of 250 service hours per week. Our staff of 37 FTEs serves 28,580 registered users and provide a collection of 164,270 titles. Our mission is to provide the resources, services and environment for patrons to pursue their business, educational and recreational interests/needs. Every Monroe County library provides children's programming, full reference services, community outreach projects, well-utilized public meeting facilities, public lectures of local interest, and internet and computer resources. Need Education and poverty statistics paint a sobering picture of real-life "paradise" in the Florida Keys: · Forty-three percent of Monroe County's K-5 students live in poverty. Over 19% of all Monroe County children are in poverty. · According to the 1990 census, 11,882 residents had less than a high school education. · The 1993-1994 dropout rate for Monroe County was the highest in the state, at 10.75%, compared to the state average of 5.63% for that year. · The 1997 average wage per job (CPI-adjusted) in Monroe County was $14,369; this was $2,500 below the state average. With cost of living adjustments, a comparative salary in Tallahassee would be $7,233. The Monroe County Public Library system has no active literacy program in place at this time. The libraries provide only conference rooms for literacy tutoring and referrals to the Literacy Volunteers of America-Monroe County ("LVA"). None of the family medical outreach agencies (e.g., Healthy Start, Healthy Families) have had a literacy component in their programming. The LVA-Monroe County has received funding for an Even Start program that addresses the needs of parents who lack basic literacy skills together with their children. While Even Start teaches low-literacy families the importance of reading, it does not provide books for these families to share at home. According to the Educational Testing Service, states where homes have more reading materials have higher average reading proficiency. Average reading proficiency increased as the number of different types of reading materials at home increased. Home libraries provide a literacy edge. The Library seeks to help at-risk families start a home library while encouraging participation in library programming and exposure to library resources. Last year, the Key West branch library initiated a one-time "Books for Babies" project that was very successful. Funds were provided by the Key West Friends of the Library for the purchase of board books, read-to-your-baby incentive gifts, and a high-low brochure for parents, "How to Raise a Reader." The State Library's "Read to Your Bunny," local Library information and a "Congratulations" letter identifying all the project contributors was also included. The Zonta Club of Key West provided volunteers to put the bags together. The Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition visiting home nurses delivered the bags during their routine visits to Healthy Start family participants. Healthy Start nurses taught the Healthy Start parents the importance of reading aloud to their children during their regular home visits in which they receive instruction in prenatal care and parenting skills. A press release with photograph appeared in the local newspaper. (See attachment) Initial results of this program are inspiring. Following are direct quotes from a few of the 100 Healthy Start families that received these materials: · "I didn't know it was okay to read to my baby because she is so young, but she really likes it, so now we read all the time." (A teen mom) · "I can't afford to buy books, so now I think I'll try to get to the Library." · "I never have gone to the Library, but now I think I will go." Healthy Start Health Planner, Sherry Read says about this project, "We LOVE introducing our Healthy Start families to books..." The Library's collaboration with in-house health care providers is vital to the project's accomplishment, given the rural demographics and dimensions of Monroe County. This program successfully placed books in the hands of at-risk parents and their children. 2 Funding is required to continue and expand this pilot program and extend it throughout the Keys. The Monroe County Public Library system has no active literacy program in place at this time. A library-based Family Literacy Program would provide families with books for a home library, introduce them to the libraries' resources for life skills, and encourage them to continue their studies. Family literacy programs are more effective than traditional literacy approaches. According to an evaluation performed by the National Center for Family Literacy: · Adults participating in family literacy programs showed greater gains in literacy than adults in adult-focused programs. · Participants in family literacy programs were less likely to drop out of the program than were participants in adult-focused programs · Parents in family literacy programs reported more educationally supportive home environments · Parents involved in family literacy programs accompany their children to the library about every three weeks. (The Power of Family Literacy, NCFL, 1994.) Also, as the quotes from Healthy Start effectively indicate, a stronger link between these at-risk families and their community library is needed. Our libraries should provide resources in a variety of formats, in a wide range of reading levels, that would help low-literacy families with parenting, job skills, and health needs, while increasing their reading aptitude. Yet, there has been no library literacy program to build this link within the community. The targeted audience for this project would be those Monroe County families already receiving health and parenting assistance through state and local agencies. Examples of the agencies include Healthy Start and Healthy Families. The families served have been identified as at-risk for jeopardized developmental, economic and educational futures. While their health and parenting needs are being identified and addressed by these agencies, there is no literacy component in their curriculum. As the attached letter from Healthy Start states, 'We already provide a mother's support group in the Key West Library and perhaps could expand on that idea in all areas of the Keys so that more families could benefit from the Library's programs. n The LVA-Monroe County Even Start families would also provide a receptive target audience for a library literacy component in their program. LVA serves mainly English as Second Language families, predominantly recent immigrants from Cuba, Czechoslovakia and Poland working in the service industry. LVA and the Key West Library have enjoyed working together on student "field trips" to the Library, and the Library has provided facilities for tutoring and RELY tutor 3 training. The LVA-Even Start program utilizes the Key West Library's auditorium for their Family Literacy Playgroup time. The Monroe County libraries would provide the best "hub" for this project precisely because of our dispersion of branches throughout the county and these well-established partnerships with health care, civic and educational organizations. 4 2. Partnerships Monroe County Public Library Grant Project Manager, Anne Layton Rice, is Library Administrator for Monroe County Public Library. Her responsibilities include: serving as liaison between branches, grant writing and administration, publicity and public relations, and facilitating communications between the Library and county government departments, Friends groups and Library Advisory Board. She serves on the Region V Adult Literacy Center Advisory panel of the Florida Department of Education and is chair of both the Zonta Club of Key West's Literacy Committee and Program Committee. In 1999, she organized the successful "Book for Babies" project for the Key West Library branch. Kathy Toribio is Juvenile Librarian for the Monroe County Public Library. She has extensive experience in artful and interactive programming for all ages and educational levels. Her service area includes the entire county. Literacy Volunteers of America-Monroe County The relationship between Monroe County Public Library and LV A has been historically strong, but limited by funding. The LVA-Even Start program utilizes the Key West Library's auditorium for their Family Literacy Playgroup time. LVA makes field trips to the Key West library with participants of their Community Integration program. The Library provides patron referrals to LVA, meeting space for literacy tutoring, and hosts LVA RELY training. LVA- Monroe County has received funding for an Even Start program that addresses the needs of parents who lack basic literacy skills together with their children. LVA is eager to include the Library in their Even Start programming to expose their students to the life-resources available at the Library. Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition Healthy Start nurses visit over 300 Monroe County families each year to provide health and parenting assistance. They are contracted through the Monroe County Health Department to provide care coordination and services. The families served have been identified as at-risk for jeopardized developmental, economic and educational futures. One hundred of these families in Key West received the added benefit of a literacy component in their counseling, courtesy of the one-time, "Books for Babies" project. During this project, Healthy Start nurses taught Healthy Start parents the importance of reading aloud to their children during their regular home visits in which they receive instruction in prenatal care and parenting skills. Healthy Start families in Key West already utilize the library for their "Mommies' Support Group" and court-ordered Parenting Classes. Healthy Start would like to expand the Key 5 West literacy project throughout the county and include a library resource component to their counseling. Healthy Families-Monroe Healthy Families is an intensive, free, voluntary, home visitation program for families with newborn children. Trained Family Support Workers use curriculum that addresses developmental, nutritional and social needs. They serve over 110 families per year in the Lower to Middle Keys. Healthy Families Director, Tara Kent, says, 'We look forward to working with you and hope we can collaborate to buy some board books and serve our participants... We feel that this would be a very enlightening program..." Zonta Club of Key West The Zonta Club's Literacy Committee was pleased to provide volunteer service hours to assemble the "Books for Babies" bags for distribution to Key West families by Healthy Start nurses. They would continue this effort for the Lower Keys families within their service area. Friends of the Marathon Library Friends of the Marathon Library would provide volunteers to assemble the "Book" bags for distribution by the various agencies mentioned above. An official letter of support requires passage by the Friends' Board, currently recessed for the summer until October. Friends' President, and new Mayor of the City of Marathon, Bob Miller, says that this is exactly the kind of project the Friends of Marathon Library would want to be involved with; for the library and for the community. American Legion Auxiliary Unit #333 The American Legion Auxiliary Unit of the Key Largo has expressed enthusiasm in helping with this project. They would provide volunteers to assemble the "Book" bags for distribution by the various agencies mentioned above. The Auxiliary President writes, "As you know we are more than happy to help in any endeavor that will benefit our Key Largo children." The three organizations above would provide "Book" bag assemblage assistance sufficient to serve the entire county. 6 3. Action Plan November 2000-After notification of awards is received, all materials would be purchased. This includes the Family Literacy collections for each branch, board books and pamphlets for distribution by the health/educational agencies, and the children's books to be distributed at the Library "@ Your Library" open houses. A press release announcing the grant award would be sent to all Keys news media. December 2000-Family Literacy collections would be established at each branch. A Family Literacy Kick-Off would be held for all community partners to meet and discuss the project. Materials for the "Book" bags would be distributed to the volunteer agencies to assemble. January 2001-"Book" bags would be distributed to health/educational agencies for distribution to families. Invitations to "@ Your Library" open houses would be designed and printed. February 2001- Towards the end of the month, the health/educational agencies would provide a list of the January-February "Book Bag" recipients for invitations to the "@ Your Library" open houses. In the case of client confidentiality, stamped invitations would be provided to the health agency for labeling. March 2001-"@ Your Library" open houses would be held during family- friendly times for all Jan-Feb recipients of the "Book Bags". The open houses would provide story time and crafts for children provided by the Juvenile Librarian, a tour of the library resources for parents by the Branch Manager, a discussion of the libraries' Family Literacy collection by the Library Administrator, with library card sign-up assistance offered throughout the open house. A list of all attendees would be compiled to add to the branch libraries' newsletter mailing list. Initial evaluations of the program would be collected. April 2001-Mid-year report due. Press releases detailing the success of the program would be distributed to all news media. Community organizations would be contacted for speaking engagements advocated the program and expressing a need for continued funding. June 2001-"@ Your Library" open houses would be held during family- friendly times for all March-May recipients of the "Book Bags". See March 2001. September 2001-"@ Your Library" open houses would be held during family-friendly times for all June-August recipients of the "Book Bags". See 7 March 2001. Another round of press releases would be provided to all Keys news media. They would provide statistics regarding the outreach of the program and would indicate that the program requires additional funding. October 2001-At the end of the month, "@ Your Library" open houses would be held during family-friendly times for all September-October recipients of the "Book Bags". Final compilation of evaluations would be reviewed. November 2001-Annual report due. 8 4. Publicity Plan The purpose of aggressive advocacy and promotion of the Family Literacy grant would be to secure funding for future sustainability of the program. An added benefit of promotion would be the exposure of the Library to various segments of the population. Press releases would appear throughout the project year. Towards the middle-to-end of the project year, the speaking engagements mentioned below would be scheduled by the Library Administrator to describe the project, present pertinent statistics, display photographs and make a case for continued, community funding. The local newspapers that serve the Florida Keys have a combined circulation of 61,500 subscribers. These newspapers have consistently provided excellent library event coverage. A digital camera, purchased through a FLORINet grant, has been used effectively to publicize library events. Each Libraries' open house function would be photographed (with participants' permission) for use in a press release. This would result in 20 press releases provided to each of the three subscription newspapers and four free, weekly papers during the project year. A local radio station hosts a "Morning Magazine" program that reaches 21,000 daily listeners. The Juvenile Librarian has on-air experience discussing programming events on the radio and would promote this special project with the show's hosts. Monroe County provides a cable channel that is carried throughout the Keys. When not broadcasting government meetings, time is provided for public service announcements in PowerPoint format. This would be an effective way to reach families that are not served by Healthy Start/Healthy Families. The PSA would include photographs of library "Open Houses" with a library contact number for more information on the project. Additionally, head librarians at all branches are frequently asked to discuss library programs, special events and issues at local civic, fraternal and business organization functions. Examples of these groups include: several Rotary Clubs, Key West Business Guild, three Zonta Clubs, Women's Clubs, and numerous Chambers of Commerce. A local philanthropic organization, Community Foundation of the Florida Keys, holds socials throughout the year and has welcomed a library representative to their functions. The Library Director, Administrator, Juvenile Librarian, and Branch Managers would approach all of these groups for speaking dates 9 5. Evaluation Evaluation of the Family Literacy project would include numbers based upon: · Number of Families receiving "Book Bags". · Number of families attending "@ Your Library" open houses. · Number of library card registrations during "@ Your Library" open houses. · Circulation figures of Family Literacy collections throughout the grant period. The LVA-Even Start administrators conduct pre- and post-assessments of their participant families. They would be willing to include a library literacy component in their assessments and share these results with the Library. Questions might include: how many times have you visited the library, what programs would you attend at the library, why haven't you visited the library. These questions would provide useful information about the participant families' library behaviors and continuing needs. Healthy Start nurses would distribute questionnaires in self-addressed, stamped envelopes to their participant families. This questionnaire would be based upon the model developed for the LVA-Even Start assessment. Healthy Families already provides a "Participant Satisfaction Survey" to their families and would include literacy questions as provided by the library. 10 Library Name Project Name Monroe County Public Libraries Southemmost Library Family Literacy Initiative BUDGET (Round all amounts to nearest dollar. Add additional lines if needed to include all information in a section.) SALARIES & BENEFITS (Position Title) Library Administrator Juvenile Librarian F.T.E. 1 $ 1 TOTAL SALARIES............................................................ $ CONTRACTUAL SERVICES (List each vendor) TOTAL CONTRACTUAL SERViCES................... _............... _ $ LIBRARY MATERIALS (Include type and numbers of materials to be purchased) Family literacy collection (100 books) $ Board Books Book bags with growth chart and brochures. TOTAL LIBRARY MATERIALS......... ......... ... ... ............... ... .. $ SUPPLIES (List supplies needed) Postage TOTAL SUPPLiES............... ........................... ... ............ _.. $ TRAVEL... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . $ EQUIPMENT (Equipment and fumiture with a useful life of at least one year and a unit cost of $1,000 or more) TOTAL EQUIPMENT......................................................... $ OTHER (Specify) Brochure printing Questionnaire printing TOTAL OTHER........................... ............ ............... .......... $ TOTAL.......... ... ...... '" .... ........ .... ..... ... ... .................. ........ $ LITERACY GRANT $ 1,800 11,825 4,180 17,805 $ 348 $ $ 450 15 465 18,618 + $ LOCAL MATCH $ 2,965 3,145 $ 6,109 $ $ $ $ $ 241 $ $ 241 $ $ $ $ 6,350 = S 24,968 Budget Narrative Salaries: The Salaries budget line item was derived by calculating 80 hours salary plus benefits for the Juvenile Librarian and the Grant Project Manager. These librarians would be responsible for: · Choosing and ordering adult high/low titles, children's books, and "Book Bag" materials. (Both librarians) · Arranging for volunteer services. (Grant Project Manager) · Distributing "Book Bags" to health and educational agencies. (Grant Project Manager) · Coordinating and conducting "@ Your Library" open houses. (Both librarians, but mainly Juvenile Librarian) · Compiling and disseminating evaluation questions. (Both librarians) · Preparing and disseminating press releases. (Grant Project Manager) · Public speaking. (Both librarians) · Preparing mid-year and annual reports. (Grant Project Manager) These salaries are provided as a local match for the purposes of this grant. Library Materials: High interestllow reading level books for five library branches. 100 @ $18.00/ea. Examples of topics would include: how to interview for employment, how to maintain a family budget, parenting skills, how to obtain U.S. residency, GED preparation. Three board books for each of the estimated 430 families served by Healthy Start, Healthy Families and LVA-Even Start. Two additional board books for each of the estimated 430 families who attend the "@ Your Library" open houses. Books are estimated at $5.50 each. Book bags would be purchased for distribution purposes. $166.50 for 500 from Upstart. The bags would contain the following: Board books mentioned above. 3 different books per bag. English and Spanish when indicated by nurses or LVA administrator. Read and Grow Growth Chart features vibrant graphics. A ruled border measures children up to 40", and suggestions for appropriate reading material for each age group are listed. 430 at $9.00 each. "How to Raise a Reader" brochure provides recommended materials and tips on how to start your children on a lifetime of reading. English and Spanish available. 500 at $14.40 per 50. Library brochure (See "Other" below) Supplies: Postage for 430 "@ Your Library" open house invitations and for 300 Healthy Start family questionnaires. 730 stamps at 0.33 each. 12 Travel: Travel by Juvenile Librarian and Library Administrator from Key West at $0.29/mile. 4 trips to Key Largo Library and Islamorada Library at 200 miles roundtrip (4*200*0.29=$232) 4 trips to Marathon Library and Big Pine Key Library at 100 miles (4*100*0.29=$116) Other: Printing of library informational brochures for distribution in "Book Bags" and at "@ Your Library" Open Houses. $450.00 for 500. Printing of questionnaires for distribution by Healthy Families and Healthy Start nurses during home visits. $15.00 for 300. [3 _ .... .T.. 'i.. HEAlTHY START President: Gazelle Lange Secretary: Steve Torrence Treuurer: Midge Jolly Executive Director: Kim Romano Board or Directon A.1..fEC' Child Find Community Representatives Family Resource Center FK Employment & Training Council Florida Keys Children's Shelter Florida Keys Community College Lower Florida Keys Health System Mariner's Hospital Medicaid Metropolitan Community Church Claudia McEwen. M.D. MiddlelUpper Keys Guidance Clinics Monroe County Commission Monroe County Social Svcs Monroe County School Board Monroe County Detention Center Rural Health Network Wesley House Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition PO Box 9107, dePoo Hospital Key West, FL 33041 Tel (305) 293-8424 Fax (305) 293-8542 Anne Layton Rice Monroe County Public Library 700 Fleming St. Key West, Fl. 33040 July 28, 2000 Dear Anne, It has been two months since the Healthy Start nurses started to introduce their families to the importance of reading to babies. The nurses have given out all 100 packages of books and materials to their families and the response has been so positive that we are hoping that the program can be expanded so that all 300 families that we see per year throughout the Keys can benefit. We appreciate so much the effort that you and the Monroe County Public Library System have put into this initiative, but I thought you would like to hear some direct quotes from the families themselves. Jean Barber, director of Healthy Start nursing services for the Monroe County Health Department, has collected some comments as follows: · This is so great because I can't get to the Library · My daughter really loves the animal book so now I take her into Walden Books just to look at the books because it's close to my house. · I can't afford to buy books so now I think I'll try to get to the Library. · I never have gone to the Library but now I think I will go. · I didn't know it was okey to read to my baby because she is so young, but she really likes it so now we read all the time. ( A teen mom) We LOVE introducing our Healthy Start families to books and would be delighted to work with you on any effort that would expand the program to the Middle and Upper Keys, and that would include our Spanish speaking families. We already provide a mother's support group in the Key West Library and perhaps could expand on that idea in all areas of the Keys so that more families could benefit from the Library's programs. Please feel free to vcall on either myself or Jean Barber at 293-7515 to discuss any further collaborations. Many Thanks. Sincerely, ~/k<- Sherry Read Health Planner HEALTHY FAMILIES - MONROE 1623 3-C Spalding Court Key West, FL 33040 Office (305) 292-9094 Fax (305) 292-1581 August 2, 2000 Monroe County Public Library Attn: Mrs. Anne Layton.Rice 700 Fleming Street Key West, FL 33040 Dear Mrs. Layton-Rice: Healthy Families-Monroe is a community-based, voluntary home visiting program that promotes healthy early childhood growth and development through fostering positive parent-child relationships. Our Family Support Workers offer support to families who may be experiencing stressful life situations and can provide linkage to health and support services that families may need. Family Support Workers also teach basic care giving for newborn babies such as staying on schedule with immunizations, and keeping well baby appointments. In Partnership with the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida, The Florida Department of Children and Families, and the Wesley House Community Center, Inc. We strongly support the "Books for Babies Program" as part of the FAMILY LI BRARY LITERACY GRANT and think it is a wonderful opportunity to introduce reading to babies. We would happily be community partners to distribute the kits as they become available. We look forward to participating in such an excellent program! Sincerely, c;:a Tara Kent, LCSW TK/rrm From RIUERTOl.JN PUB lm.RAC:Y vOIUNT[[RS ~~ NY'\E,.,ICA Inc - - (~ AUlust 11. 2000 PHONE No. 724 845 7334 Aug. 11 2000 3: 24pr'1 P01 Literacy Volunteers of Amer;ca -- Monroe County, InL 812 Southard Sl. Building #3, l~(;~y West. FL. :s:~01 () (305) 294-4352 · FAX (~~or;) ~'J6-1 ~y( Outside Key West: 1-800 l.VA-KEYS Ann Rice Monroe County Library 700 FleminfJ Street Key West~ FL 33040 Dear Ann, Thank you for including Literacy Volunteers of America-Monroe County and our Even Start Family Literacy Program in your grant to put IHlOks in the hands of babies for the Family Literacy grant you are working on. The mission of Even Start is to help parenu become better parents and better teachers for their children while at the same time preparing children to be successful in school. This program provides four components: adult literacy education, early childhood education, in-home parenting instrudion and I).A.C.T. (Parents As Children's First Teachers) playgroup time where the parents and children get in group~ and Icarn something together. This program addresse.~ the needs or parents who lack basic English literacy skills and their children age 0..7. We have twelve partitipating families in our ~:ven Start program with babies who will be reading their first books courtesy of your grant. Thanks again. /[) \J::L()~ "" !;erviccs provided WllIllIUI regard to the client's TlICt:. ~\IIQr. dlsal'IlIlY. 01 /lllt'O"tll Orlt~'" os Icqul/rd I,y Title VI of tbe Civil Rights Act Suzanne Hutton 551 Pine Lane Big Pine Key, FL 33043 August 29, 2000 Anne Layton Rice Library Administrator Monroe County Public Library 700 Fleming Street Key West, FL 33040 Dear Anne: The Zonta Club of Key West was pleased to provide volunteer assistance with the Library's "Books for Babies" program. We look forward to assisting with future projects that provide literacy services to the children and families of Key West. Please do not hesitate to call upon Zonta for volunteer service. Sincerely, Suzanne Hutton, President Zonta Club of Key West . AUi-08-Z000 03:09pm =rom-F!RST STATE BANK KEY LARGO LOAN OEPT 3058535440 T-561 P 001/00Z F-190 August 8, 2000 Claudia Moriorty Key Largo Library Key Largo, FI Dear Claudia: Please receive this letter as confirmation that the American Legion Auxiliary Unit #333 will be happy to help with your project, "Books for Babies". As you know we are more than happy to help in any endeavor that will benefit our Key Largo children. If you have any questions please feel free to call me. I will be happy to help in any way I can. Sincerely, ~~LS' "d ~ II ~- () ~ta. pelep1-~ Auxiliary Unit #333 President Ipls. Friday, June 9,2000 KEYsLFwRIDA ""~.....;'k, ~' '~~:;r _ :~:"~~:~~;,~-.\~~>:,, :-.'-'.,. ", . , . '. . '. '. ...... .' . . . . <'" ' ~"",.. . Conlrlbuled ABCs: Sophia Love Manheim wears aiibm ~Read bib attheMt)nra~>OOuntyLlbrary in Key West, which has joined with the Fldrtq~ Keys Healthy Start Coalit\antod~ise a pro- gram that reaches outto expectant parents to instill a love of reading ,ntheir child. Sophia is with Anne Layton Rice, left, Iibraryadm'inistrator, arid SherryR~al;I; h~alth planllt3r f6fthe coalitiion. The program is funded byFrierds ()f the Library andsup~ by the ZdMta.Club. For more information, can 292-3595'or 293"7515.