EMWP Family Literacy Initiative to Offer Regional Training

Kimberly Pavlock, TC ‘92

This spring, on May 19, 2012, we have plans to offer our first Family Literacy Initiative Training Institute for Teacher Consultants from NWP sites across Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana who are interested in learning about what the EMWP Family Literacy Initiative is and receiving training on how to develop family outreach programs of their own at their own sites.

Family Writing Workshop Participants

During this Institute, we will not only provide background information about our program (including why we think working with parents is so important; how we developed our program, and what our program entails), we will also model two different workshops for Institute participants, so that they can take part in an actual workshop and have time to write and ask questions about their experience. We plan to also answer questions about how we train our TCs, how we market the FLI, and more. At the end of the day, we will lead participants through a series of prompts to help them think about how they might develop workshops and training in family literacy at their own Writing Project sites.

Family Writing Workshop Participants

Realizing that money is tight for Writing Project sites across the country, we plan to charge just $75 per person (which will include breakfast and lunch). EMWP TCs interested in attending will only be asked to pay $10 to help cover the cost of food. We believe that sites sending one, two, or even three TCs should be able to recoup their investment in this training easily once they begin family literacy programs of their own.

Family Writing Workshop Participants

We see this summer institute as a first step in creating wider training for Teacher Consultants across the country. The more NWP sites know about the success of our Family Literacy Initiative and the various ways in which this outreach to families supports the goals of the National Writing Project, the better – not only for the families and schools involved, but also for the sustainability of the National Writing Project.
We are fortunate. Over the past few years, we have received an incredible amount of interest and support from administrators, teachers, parents, students, and other community members for the EMWP Family Literacy Initiative. Our programs and outreach continue to expand. So, in spite of the challenges that we face as a result of the lack of federal funding, we look forward with hope and confidence to a year of more growth and more collaboration with schools, families, and other NWP sites.