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Subject: [NIFL-FAMILY:1294] xpost Family lit. Waiver
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The following is crossposted from AMERICA READS list.
Robin Jurczyk
NIFL-Family list moderator
rjurczyk@aol.com
**************
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 1997 09:53:08 -0500
From: Cynthia_Wong@ed.gov (Cynthia Wong)
Subject: AmericaReads: FWS regulation: family literacy program waiver
Dear Friend:
We appreciate the enthusiastic response from institutions using the
Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program to support the America Reads
Challenge. We are pleased to announce an additional waiver of the
FWS institutional-share requirement for tutors in a family literacy
program that provides services to families with children from infancy
through elementary school. Effective July 1, 1998, this new waiver
will allow 100 percent of the wages of an FWS tutor in a family
literacy program to be paid from federal dollars.
For planning purposes, some initial questions and answers are
provided below. A more extensive "Dear Colleague" letter will be
available by the end of February 1998.
1. How will this regulation change affect the current waiver for FWS
reading tutors?
The Secretary of Education previously added a waiver of the FWS
institutional-share requirement for reading tutors of children, that
went into effect on July 1, 1997. The new FWS waiver, effective July
1, 1998, will provide additional flexibility for institutions to help
children read well and independently by the end of third grade. It
applies to FWS tutors working in a family literacy program and
providing literacy services to children from infancy through
elementary school and/or to their parents or caregivers who may need
assistance with their own literacy skills.
2. Why did the Department of Education decide to make this change?
This new waiver for tutors working in family literacy programs is
based on research that shows that children whose parents work with
them on literacy skills during early childhood have a significantly
better chance of reading well and independently. Unfortunately, not
all parents or caregivers have the literacy skills necessary to work
with their children to ensure that each child has the proper
foundation for reading skills. We have received comments from
organizations that focus on family literacy indicating that the
expansion of the waiver to tutors involved in family literacy
programs is very important to meeting the goal of children reading
well and independently by the end of third grade.
3. What is a family literacy program?
A "family literacy program" integrates the following:
* Literacy tutoring for children
* Literacy training for parents or caregivers of children in the
program
* Equipping parents or caregivers with the skills needed to partner
with their children in learning
* Literacy activities between parents or caregivers and their
children
A more detailed explanation of family literacy programs will be
provided in the February "Dear Colleague" letter.
4. Will FWS reading tutors have to work in a family literacy program
in order to qualify for the matching requirement waiver?
No, FWS reading tutors may continue to tutor children who are not in
a family literacy program and still qualify for a waiver of the
institutional-share requirement. The regulation change will expand
the waiver to allow FWS students to tutor in family literacy programs
that provide services to families with children from infancy through
elementary school. In either case, the FWS reading tutor must work
for the institution itself, for a Federal, State, or local public
agency, or for a private nonprofit organization.
For the full text of the November 28, 1997 final regulation, please
visit the following Web site:
http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
We hope this regulation change will provide you with additional
flexibility to respond to the President's America Reads Challenge,
which is mobilizing resources to ensure that all children read well
and independently by the end of third grade. Thank you for your
support of the America Reads Challenge!
Sincerely,
Carol H. Rasco Elizabeth M. Hicks
Senior Advisor to the Secretary Deputy Assistant Secretary
Director, America Reads Challenge for Student Financial Assistance
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