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Luz Early's Asset-based Community Development Page

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN ACH CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES AND FORT WORTH LIBRARY: RIDGLEA BRANCH

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Goals – Goals are the overarching concepts that frame the partnership project. The project must have two or more goals.

1. To implement a family literacy project, in order to help displaced and homeless parents and caregivers of children aged birth to three years old as they develop early literacy skills for the children in their care while families are sheltered in an ACH Child and Family Services facility.
2. To develop a family literacy environment in collaboration with ACH Child and Family Services where there is participation from displaced / homeless families in the Ridglea community who are sheltered in a corresponding ACH Child and Family Services facility. 

 

Objectives – Include at least one or two objectives for each of goal. Objectives must be measurable.

Objectives for Goal #1:

Develop a 10-week pilot program that will measurably increase parent / caregiver knowledge in the area of early literacy practices with children aged birth to three years old.

Objectives for Goal #2:

Demonstrate participation by sheltered homeless / displaced families in the The 1,2,3: Leap into Literacy @Your Library^®  family literacy program.   

 

ALSC Competencies for Librarians Serving Children in Public Libraries Earley_MOU_Competencies.docx

 

Evidence-based Practice – Cite and annotate at least two research studies that support the efficacy of the goals or objectives for this project.

            According to Doyle and Zhang (2011), family literacy programs involving parents can result in positive effects on children’s language and literacy development (p. 223) Therefore, including the parents and caregivers in the project can increase the likelihood of home application of the skills learned during the early literacy program sessions. Adult parents and caregivers are participating in a hands-on program that provides methods and suggested practices within a community library environment.

            Levin-Epstein and Greenberg (2003) state that critical pre-reading and early reading skills are learned in the home (p. 26). By providing a family literacy program that fosters skill in children aged birth to three, homeless and displaced families can give an advantage to their children that can be encouraged each week as they return to the temporary shelter housing offered by ACH Child and Family Services. Through this collaboration, the Fort Worth Library can contribute to the future success of a marginalized population that would not otherwise access material to borrow from the library, due to a lack of fixed residence.

 

 Measures for Success – For each objective, describe how data will be collected to determine the success of the project and data will be used to improve the project in the future.

 

Data Collection Procedure:

 

Objective #1:

• A pre survey questionnaire will be administered to the participating adults of each family. Participants will initially provide contact information in order to have a follow-up survey administered 3 months following completion of the 10-week family literacy program. The details of the survey will be developed by lead representation from both FWL and ACH.

 

• This survey will be developed by both ACH and Ridglea Branch assigned staff. Final approval of questions is designated to Luz Earley, of Fort Worth Library, and Carla Storey of ACH Child and Family Services.

 

• Following the 10-week pilot program, the results will be used to determine the efficacy of the program, along with any changes and / or modifications that can be made to improve program success.

 

Objectives #2:

• Under the leadership of Carla Storey, ACH Child and Family Services Residential Director, the displaced families will complete a series of three assessments / surveys. A pre-program survey, a mid-program survey, and a final exit survey. The communication between both FWL and ACH will continue following the pilot program. The expertise of ACH in their work with displaced families is a key element of this follow-up measure.

 

• The comparison between the pre-program and the exit / final assessments are essential in measuring how the program has served a population of displaced families. These measures are not often gathered from unsheltered individuals due to the difficulty of information gathering from homeless, unsheltered families. The ACH Child and Family service project surveys can provide a starting point for adapting this collaborative project into a more long-term project.

 

Benefits – The library and non-profit agency must reap benefits from the project. Describe them from the perspective of each stakeholder.

 

Benefits for the non-profit agency:

ACH is an agency that focuses on serving an increased number of families each year. Creating lasting ties with the displaced family community is a challenge. Inclusion in the 1,2,3: Leap into Literacy @Your Library^®  is a measurable method of offering an educational service to the families. In addition, it is a means for these families to feel as if they are a part of the community and not a marginalized element of the population. In addition, ACH will interpret results to evaluate if program participation has the potential to encourage sheltered families to participate in other educational opportunities. 

 

Benefits for the library:

Fort Worth Library (FWL) seeks to serve the needs of all members of the community, including those living in temporary housing. The library, partnership with ACH, will be able to communicate with these families as they regularly report to agency personnel. Without this partnership, it is difficult to address the needs of this marginalized population due to a lack of fixed information such as permanent address and / or a valid source of identification. Through ACH, Fort Worth Library can have access to accurate information as needed to provide library cards and other necessary library resources. The Fort Worth Library (2013) mission includes a lifelong learning component, of which early literacy skill is instrumental.

 

Benefits for the community:

The first step toward community benefit must include seeking to serve the segment of the homeless population that is most likely to attend. Those without any shelter, although they may be interested, are not likely to commit to attendance (McGee, 1996, p. 30). When the community sees that the participating entities are making efforts to strengthen families, including the unsheltered, displaced families, they recognize that each person is indeed an asset. This is a community-building program activity. Participants take responsibility in order to attend a program such as 1,2,3: Leap into Literacy @Your Library^® , and a community is best served by contributing to programs that support and promote an educated youth population. Creating parent leaders within the homeless population, through programs that contribute to lifelong learning such as this family literacy project, builds relationships between both businesses and members of the households in the Ridglea community.

 

Responsibilities of the Partners – List or describe the individual and shared responsibilities of the partners.

 

Non-profit Agency Responsibilities: ACH Child and Family Services will:

1. Provide round-trip transportation for participating families, sheltered by ACH, to Ridglea Branch Library, arriving 15 minutes prior to start of program.
2. Notify designated Ridglea Branch Library 24 in advance if unable to provide transportation.
3. Provide one staff member to assist in program facilitation as needed, acting as substitute if necessary, and assist during program time.

 

 Library Responsibilities: Fort Worth Library, Ridglea Branch will:

1. Provide adequate space at Ridglea Library in order to facilitate the program.
2. Provide lead program staff, Luz Earley, to act as facilitator of the program.
3. Share all ideas with ACH assigned program staff.
4. Submit all pertinent information with Residential Director Carla Storey 

 

Shared Responsibilities:

Both ACH Child and Family Services, and Fort Worth Library, Ridglea Branch will:

1. Assign staff to assist whenever necessary to achieve project goals.
2. Actively support participating families by providing a welcoming environment for family literacy sessions.
3. Address all issues that arise during program implementation in order to meet the designated needs of participating families. 
4. Collaborate with partner entity and address any concerns in an efficient manner. 
5. Active recruitment of volunteers within the stakeholder community.  

 

Budget – Provide an itemized budget and funding source(s). Include which entity is responsible for which aspects of funding and/or soliciting funds.

The following budget applies to the 10-week pilot program. It is designed to meet the needs of a maximum of 10 participating families, or a maximum of 50 persons per session.

Item / Service	Cost	Entity Responsible
Round trip-10 week transportation	$1500	ACH Child & Family Services
Books and materials added to children’s collections	$1500	Fort Worth Library
Weekly Book Give-aways	$1000	Fort Worth Library
Session consumables: Snacks / meal items disposable items (plates, cups, related paper products)	$1500	ACH Child and Family Services
Volunteer services	$0	Friends of the Library
Copies and other printed material	$500	Fort Worth Library
Volunteer readers	$0	1.Ridglea Country Club Members Community    2. Neighborhood Association Members
Total Cost:	$5000

 

Time – Provide a timeline for the project and include evaluation points during and at the end of the project.

10-week Pilot Program: 1,2,3: Leap into Literacy @Your Library^®  family literacy program.

 

 

1,2,3: Leap into Literacy @Your Library^®

10-Week Pilot Program

Project Timeline           

     The program will meet one day per week, for a period of one hour, at the Ridglea Branch Library of the Fort Worth Library Department. ACH Child and Family services will provide round-trip transportation to participating families. Families are selected from those who are sheltered in corresponding ACH housing, with children aged birth to three years old. The program will consist of no more than 15, but no less than 10 families. Project participation will not exceed 50 individuals per session. Each family will receive one free children’s book per week as part of the 1,2,3: Leap into Literacy @Your Library^® initiative to increase early literacy within underserved populations. Parent or guardian of participating under-aged children will be present at each family literacy session. Sessions will be conducted on the day of the week in which the library is closed to regular service. This will allow for the use of participating families without interruption, but will also best accommodate service to these families and their children. Temporary use of library materials will be allowed during the duration of the 10-week pilot program.

 

The following is a basic timeline of the program sessions, and corresponding assessment / survey administration. The timeline allows for 15 minutes of time designated to answer a basic, targeted survey developed in collaboration by both lead entities.

 

10-Week Timeline

	Week 1 Introduction and group session	Weeks 2 through 4	5-week mid assessment / survey	Weeks 6 through 9	Week 10 Final Exit Assessment / Survey
Pre-program Assessment / Survey	Performed by all adult program participants and family youth aged 12 and over
Mid-program Assessment/ Survey			Performed by all adult program participants and family youth aged 12 and over
Final Assessment/ Survey					Performed by all adult program participants and family youth aged 12 and over
Program Family Literacy Session	45 minute group session	1 hour group session	45 minute group session	1 hour group session	45 minute group session

 

 

Ending the Partnership – Describe the deal breaker(s) and exit strategy for ending the partnership.

Deal breaker(s):

            Either entity must comply with the program objectives as presented in this agreement. Any and all proposed changes must be submitted a minimum of 30 days prior to the onset of the program. Failure to agree to fulfill the terms of this agreement will result in a forfeiture of any and all funds contributed by the parting entity.

 

Bless and release (exit strategy):

            If either party wishes to exit the terms of this agreement, documentation must be provided in writing a minimum of 30 days prior to onset of program. Any and all funds contributed by exiting party will forfeited. A decision to conclude participation in the agreement by either party must be submitted in writing and witnessed by lead staff of both entities.

 

References

ACH Child and Family Services. (2013). “Our Financials: 2013 Annual Report.”    http://www.achservices.org/our-financials.html

 

Doyle, A., & Zhang, J. (2011). Participation structure impacts on parent engagement in family      literacy programs. Early Childhood Education Journal, 39(3), 223-233.

 

Fort Worth Library. (2013). “Co-sponsorship of community programs policy.”

            http://fortworthtexas.gov/library/info/default.aspx?id=41498

 

Fort Worth Library. (2012). “Fort Worth library: FWISD partner on new literacy initiative.”

         http://fortworthtexas.gov/citynews/default.aspx?id=105088. Fort Worth library. 2011. “Fort worth library system master plan.” Buxton library profiles: Ridglea branch               profile.  

          http://fortworthtexas.gov/library/info/default.aspx?id=74282

Levin-Epstein, J., Greenberg, M. H., & Center for Law and Social Policy, W. D. (2003). Leave No youth behind: Opportunities for Congress to Reach Disconnected Youth.               http://ezproxy.twu.edu:4172/fulltext/ED478271.pdf

 

 

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