LONG BEACH, CALIF. — When school starts in the coming weeks, some parents will be going to class along with their children, thanks to a new $330,000, three-year grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to the Cambodian Association of America’s Family Literacy Program.
The Cambodian Family Literacy Program, which targets low-income Cambodian families with children ages 0 to 7 years, provides services to at least 25 families and 30 children annually at Burnett Elementary School in central Long Beach. The program includes English-as-a-second-language (ESL) classes for adults, early childhood education, parenting, and time for parents and children to learn together.
“We are excited about the start of our fourth year this September,” said Jenny Chheang, Project Director for the Cambodian Family Literacy Program. “Our evaluation results consistently confirm that this program is having a major impact on the lives of the families we serve. Our goal is to break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy in the Cambodian community.”
Besides having parents and children come to Burnett for classes, project staff conduct home visits to model and practice reading techniques with families. Families also receive information about and referrals to other community services, including housing, welfare, and community college.
“What’s exciting about this project is that it promotes literacy for the whole family,” said John Williams, Community Liaison Program Officer for Knight Foundation in Long Beach. “That helps parents get good jobs, become more active in schools, and promote reading for all their children, not just those preschoolers in the program.”
Knight first supported the project in 2002 with a pilot grant of $245,400 to the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) to strengthen the program at Burnett Elementary School. NCFL provided technical assistance to the program and guided CAA through a successful bid for a second project at Lincoln Elementary School funded by the California Department of Education. The Cambodian Family Literacy Program also worked with NCFL to create a learner-centered ESL curriculum that is now being used as a nationwide model for similar programs in other communities.
To enroll in the program, which begins on September 20th, or to find out more information, call 988-1863.
About the Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of 26 U.S. communities. Since 1986, Knight Foundation has invested more than $10 million in the Long Beach community. The investments seek better outcomes for children and families living in the 90806 zip code.