What's happening
This bill establishes competitive grants to fund family literacy programs for economically disadvantaged families in poverty areas or low-performing school zones.
Why it matters
Targets Multigenerational Literacy. By integrating early childhood education, adult literacy, and parenting education, the bill aims to address illiteracy as a family-wide issue, potentially breaking cycles of low literacy and poverty across generations.
Focuses Funds Where Most Needed. Grants are specifically targeted to families living in poverty or in zones served by low-performing public schools, directing resources to areas with the highest concentration of educational disadvantage.
Requires Local Investment and Partnerships. The dollar-for-dollar matching requirement means local providers must invest their own resources alongside state funds, encouraging community buy-in and partnerships (including schools and non-profit agencies).
Includes Accountability and Evaluation. The bill mandates annual state-level reporting and allows grant funds to be used for statewide evaluation, ensuring oversight and providing data to measure program effectiveness and guide future policy decisions.
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Fund Family Literacy Programs
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
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History
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Companion bill
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Fund Family Literacy Programs
In Assembly Committee · Education · Sponsor J. Gary Pretlow
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3471
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 23, 2017
Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing family literacy programs for economically disadvantaged families living in poverty areas or in areas served by low-performing public schools
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Legislative findings and declaration. It is the purpose of this act to help break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy by improving the educational opportunities for New York's low-income families by funding family literacy programs that integrate early childhood development, adult literacy or adult basic education, inter-generational learning and parenting education. The legislature finds and declares that the provision of comprehensive family literacy programs will help many parents and children living in poverty to improve their lives. The legislature finds that, based on national and state surveys, persons with low literacy levels are most likely to live in poverty and be dependent on public assistance. The legislature finds that a comparatively high percentage of students attending low-performing public schools live in poverty or have parents with limited English language proficiency or poor literacy skills. The legislature finds that there is inadequate funding to address the illiteracy problem in these communities. Therefore, the legislature finds that it is necessary to fund family literacy programs targeted to economically disadvantaged families residing in poverty areas or in attendance zones served by low-performing public schools to assist adults and children living in these communities to obtain the skills they need to lead successful and productive lives.
§ 2. Section 3641 of the education law is amended by adding a new subdivision 17 to read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04869-01-7
S. 3471 2
17. Family literacy grants. Within the amount appropriated for such purpose, the commissioner is directed and authorized to award competitive matching grants to eligible providers to support the establishment of comprehensive family literacy programs. In order to be eligible for such a grant, a grantee shall provide an approved family literacy program to eligible families.
a. Definitions. As used in this section:
(1) "Family literacy program" means services that are of sufficient intensity in terms of hours and of sufficient duration to make sustainable changes to a family and that integrate all of the following activities: interactive literacy activities between parents and their children; education for parents regarding how to be the primary teacher for their children and full partners in the education of their children; parent literacy preparation that leads to economic self-sufficiency; and an age-appropriate education to prepare children for success in school and life experiences.
(2) "Eligible parent" means an individual who is: (i) in parental relation to an eligible child, as defined by the commissioner, and (ii) in need of adult basic education, as defined in this section.
(3) "Eligible child" means a child from birth through age twelve who has one or more eligible parents.
(4) "Eligible family" means a family unit which contains one or more eligible parents and one or more eligible children and whose family income is at or below the poverty level and who resides in an area of poverty or in an attendance zone served by a low-performing public school, both as defined by the commissioner.
(5) "Eligible provider" means a school district or a board of cooperative educational services in partnership with a public agency or a private, nonsectarian not-for-profit agency.
(6) "Authorized expenditures" means those expenses related to instruction, assessment, counseling, administration, purchase of instructional materials, purchase or lease of approved equipment, cost of in-service training for participating instructors and counselors, designed to serve eligible families and other administrative and program costs as approved by the commissioner, or for the statewide evaluation of family literacy programs.
(7) "Adult education" means services or instruction below the postsecondary level for individuals:
(A) who have attained sixteen years of age;
(B) who are not enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary school under law; and
(C) who (i) lack sufficient mastery of basic educational skills to enable the individuals to function effectively in society;
(ii) do not have a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, and have not achieved an equivalent level of education; or
(iii) are unable to speak, read, or write the English language.
b. Award of grants. (1) Eligible providers shall submit proposals to the commissioner, including program budgets, to fund authorized expenditures in support of family literacy programs designed to serve eligible families. Such proposals shall be in a form and shall be submitted on a schedule prescribed by the commissioner.
(2) The commissioner shall adopt regulations to establish eligibility criteria and procedures for the award of such grants and to otherwise implement the provisions of this section, provided that a dollar-fordollar match shall be required of any eligible provider applying for such grants.
S. 3471 3
(3) The commissioner shall award grants on a competitive basis using the eligibility criteria established in regulation and shall determine the amount of each grant award, provided that a statewide evaluation grant shall not exceed fifty thousand dollars.
c. Payment schedule. Subject to the availability of funds for such purpose, upon approval of a proposal by the commissioner, the commissioner shall provide for the advance of twenty-five percent of the grant amount. The remaining portion of the grant allocation shall be distributed according to a schedule prescribed by the commissioner, upon submission by the eligible provider and approval by the commissioner of progress reports and a final report.
d. Annual report. On or before March fifteenth, two thousand twentyone and by March first of each year thereafter, the commissioner shall submit to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly a report describing and evaluating the family literacy programs funded pursuant to this section.
§ 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing family literacy programs for economically disadvantaged families living in poverty areas or in areas served by low-performing public schools
Purpose or general idea of bill
To break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy, and improve educational opportunities for New York's low-income families by funding family literacy programs which integrate early childhood development, adult literacy or adult basic education, inter-generational learning and parental education.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 is the legislative finding for family literacy programs.
Read the full memo (725 words)
Section 2 creates family literacy grants, authorizing the Commissioner of Education to award competitive matching grants to support comprehensive family literacy programs. In order to qualify, programs need to provide an approved family literacy program to eligible families. Paragraph (a) defines relevant terms. Paragraph (b) implements the procedure for awarding grants and reporting requirements. Paragraph (c) sets up a payment schedule for providers. Paragraph (d) requires an annual report evaluating family literacy programs.
Justification
In 1991, the National Literacy Act defined literacy as: "an individual's ability to read, write, and speak in English, and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one's goals, and develop one's knowledge and potential."
According to the 1998 report,
THE STATE OF LITERACY IN AMERICA by the National Institute for Literacy, the impacts of low literacy are many, including:
*Poverty (43% of adults at the lowest level of literacy, Level 1, were living in poverty compared to 4% at Level 5);
*Welfare (Three out of four food stamp recipients performed in the two lowest literacy levels);
*Income (Adults at Level 1 earned a median income of $240 per week, compared to $681 for those at Level 5);
*Employment Status (Adults at Level 1 worked an average 4f 19 weeks per year compared to 44 weeks per year for those at Level 5);
*Crime (Seven in ten prisoners performed in the lowest two literacy levels).
IN NEW YORK STATE, 25% OF THE ADULT POPULATION IS AT LEVEL 1, WHICH IS THE LOWEST LEVEL OF LITERACY. Nationally, fewer than 10 percent of adults who could benefit from literacy programs are being served. Recently Congress passed the Workforce Investment Act, Title II - Adult Education and Family Literacy Act which creates a partnership among the federal government, states and localities to provide family education and literacy services. This bill will initiate family literacy programs at the state level in conjunction with the federal
effort. By enacting this proposal, New York will begin to create programs necessary to comply with the Workforce Investment Act.
Comprehensive family literacy programs will help many parents and children living in poverty to improve their lives many currently existing programs are at full capacity with long waiting lists. In 1996, the Rand Corporation report, USING DATA TO EVALUATE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE NEW YORK EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCE SYSTEM, found that, "...the most important family influences on student test scores are the level of parental education, family size, family income and the age of the mother when the child is born."
Family literacy is increasingly being recognized as the future of literacy education for adults and children together. Increasing the levels of literacy and education for parents helps them to support the early literacy skills for their children. Educators, economists, legislators and public policy experts are all coming to realize that the recent emphasis on, increasing standards for students, early childhood education, including all-day kindergarten and Universal Pre-K, cannot succeed if we neglect the most important influence in a child's environment: their parents. Putting adult literacy education in the same milieu with elementary and secondary education will result in increased Achievement, easier transitions for welfare-to-work, a more skilled workforce, and decreased poverty and crime. In 1994-95 for every dollar spent on adult education, $2.65 was returned to the economy. The modest investment made by this bill will translate into significant economic and social improvement for our State.
Prior legislative history
2015-16: S.1494A/A.1638A - Amend and Recommit to Education 2013-14: S.5515A/A.4243 - Amend and Recommit to Education and Print; 2009-10: Held for consideration in education 1997-98: A.5505-C 1996: A.10942
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
None.
Effective date
This act shall take place July 1, 2020.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.