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Dec 20, 2021 I
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NCFL publishes two new resources for educators and program staff

NCFL has published two free resources for those working with families in family literacy, learning, and engagement settings. Our Recruitment & Retention Toolkit supports program staff throughout ...  Read more »

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Dec 17, 2021 I
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NCFL supports families in Kentucky and surrounding states experiencing adversity

Over the past week, we’ve witnessed the devastation caused by the horrific storms that occurred December 10th in our home state of Kentucky and in surrounding states. Like so many, we feel shocked ...  Read more »

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Dec 16, 2021 I
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NCFL’s Wonderopolis® partners with Canva to provide learning tools

Since 2010, Wonderopolis.org has provided free, engaging learning content to millions of learners around the world. Created by the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL), the site offers ...  Read more »

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Dec 2, 2021 I
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NCFL and Toyota support literacy through nationwide book distribution

Longtime partners NCFL and Toyota are spotlighting the importance of literacy by distributing more than 85,000 books to 2,000 families nationwide. The effort ties into Toyota’s holiday ad ...  Read more »

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Nov 16, 2021 I
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Family engagement is the key to Kentucky’s long-term education and workforce success

This blog post is authored by NCFL's President, Dr. Felicia Cumings Smith in honor of Kentucky Family Engagement in Education Week. Click here to read about activities happening across the ...  Read more »

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Nov 13, 2021 I
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Kentucky Family Engagement in Education Week starts November 15th!

NCFL is excited to join the Kentucky Collaborative for Families and Schools in celebrating Kentucky Family Engagement in Education Week from Nov. 15 through Nov. 19, 2021! Together with the Prichard ...  Read more »

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Nov 1, 2021 I
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Congress promotes NCFL’s Family Service Learning initiative

Family Service Learning, a framework that facilitates family-generated community service projects, was recognized today by Representatives John Yarmuth (D-KY) and Van Taylor (R-TX) and Senators John ...  Read more »

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Oct 29, 2021 I
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New NCFL podcast series highlights families’ power to create change in their communities through Family Service Learning

“Families are powerful. They do care. And they can support their children.” -- That’s the message of the National Center for Families Learning’s new podcast series launching today. NCFL is ...  Read more »

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Oct 27, 2021 I
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Broward County educator named national Family Teacher of the Year

Manoucheka Dolcine of Broward County, Florida has been selected for the top family engagement honor in the nation as she was named the 2021 Toyota Family Teacher of the Year through a surprise ...  Read more »

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Oct 24, 2021 I
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NCFL founder receives Dyer Pearl Literacy Award for exemplary work in family literacy

Following an inspirational keynote address from our nation’s First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Sharon Darling, founder of the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL), was given the distinction of ...  Read more »

NCFL Partners

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Toyota

Toyota, one of the nation's most successful corporations, began a partnership with NCFL in 1991. In addition to a commitment of more than $50 million, Toyota has also contributed a wealth of in-kind support — including advertising, planning and management expertise — to form one of the most progressive corporate/nonprofit partnerships in the nation.

Three major programs have been developed through the Toyota partnership based on the family literacy model of parents and children learning together. These models have influenced federal and state legislation, leveraged local dollars to support family literacy and led to successful programs being replicated across the country.

Read more about Toyota's commitment to communities

William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust

NCFL received its very first donation in 1989 from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust to promote and implement family literacy programming, first in Kentucky and North Carolina and later nationwide. The Kenan Family Literacy Model in part laid the groundwork for 30 years of subsequent family literacy and family learning programming developed by NCFL.

Kenan has continued to support NCFL’s place-based family literacy programs since our inception. Most recently, it has invested in our organization’s Sharon Darling Innovation Fund, which will launch emerging ideas and programmatic evolutions in the multigenerational learning space.

Learn more about the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust

Dollar General Literacy Foundation

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation began partnering with NCFL in 2006. A signature effort of this partnership is the National Literacy Directory, a resource that launched in 2010 and strives to guide potential students and volunteers to literacy services, community education programs, and testing centers in their communities.

The National Literacy Directory contains over 10,000 educational agencies located across the United States and has a dedicated toll-free number to help support those wanting to pursue educational opportunities in their communities.

Dollar General also provides support for development of NCFL’s innovative family learning resources centered on financial literacy and Parent and Child Together (PACT) Time®.

Learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation

PNC Grow Up Great

PNC Grow Up Great believes deeply in the power of high-quality early childhood education and provides innovative opportunities that assist families, educators and community organizations to enhance children's learning and development.

PNC Grow Up Great has partnered with NCFL since 1994, most recently in Louisville, Kentucky, to support Say & Play with Words, our pre-Kindergarten vocabulary-building initiative.

NCFL's work is also featured on the PNC Grow Up Great Lesson Center website. The Lesson Center includes over 100 free, high-quality preschool lesson plans and research-based instructional techniques and strategies. All lesson plans contain Home/School Connections printouts, in English and Spanish, to help families extend and reinforce the learning at home.

Learn more about PNC Grow Up Great

U.S. Department of Education

Initiated through the U.S. Department of Education in 2018, the Statewide Family Engagement Centers (SFEC) program provides 12 grantees and 13 states with five-year, $5 million grants to promote and implement systemic evidenced-based family engagement strategies. NCFL was selected to lead SFECs in two states, Arizona and Nebraska, and is a primary partner for two other SFECs in Kentucky and Maryland/Pennsylvania. 

The SFECs work to support family engagement through state- and local-level agencies while providing both professional development to school districts and direct services to families related to children’s academic outcomes and overall well-being.

Learn more about the U.S. Department of Education

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

NCFL was named a recipient of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s "Voices for Economic Opportunity Grand Challenge," which seeks to elevate diverse voices in order to broaden the conversation about the issues inhibiting economic mobility and generate deeper awareness along with actionable understanding. NCFL will develop and launch a podcast series that will highlight the remarkable stories of low-income, diverse families across the U.S. who have improved their communities through Family Service Learning.

Foundation Website