The Fourth Annual Literacy Connections Conference: Children Succeed When Parents Succeed will be held on Thursday, March 29, 2012 at Thomas College in Waterville ME.  The conference costs $39 and will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  The conference is designed to bring adult and early childhood educators together to discuss literacy in the family and community.  In response to evaluations from last year's conference, we are pre-registering for all conference workshops this year.

Dr. Elyse Pratt-Ronco will deliver the keynote "Growing Up Poor: Poverty's Impact on Education." Steve Rowe, Counsel for Verrill-Dana will deliver a luncheon address entitled "Ensuring that all Maine children start kindergarten ready and able to learn is an economic imperative."  To view the conference brochure and read about our workshops or to register for the conference, visit the Maine Family Literacy Initiative website at www.mainefamilyliteracy.com/conferences .

The conference is sponsored by the Maine Family Literacy Initiative, a program of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.

The 2012-2013 grant cycle for the Maine Family LIteracy Initiative opens today.  For more information, visit www.mainefamilyliteracy.com/grants

The Bridgton News by Lisa Williams Ackley

CASCO — There are great learning opportunities for kids and their parents to explore, thanks to the Western Maine Family Literacy Program!

Earlier this year, the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy awarded a $25,000 Lighthouse grant to School Administrative Districts 61 and 72 Regional Adult & Community Education for the Western Maine Family Literacy Program.

The grant will be used to provide adult education, early childhood literacy, family literacy, parenting education, career exploration and job training to families through a combination of center-based and home-based services. The Crooked River Adult & Community Education Center in Casco is the primary site for the WMFLP, and other programming is provided at Molly Ockett Middle School in Fryeburg, Fryeburg Head Start, the Brownfield Public Library and at libraries in Bridgton, Sebago, Fryeburg, Denmark and Lovell as requested. Grant funds will also be used for outreach to local service providers and surrounding communities interested in establishing or expanding family literacy programs.

To read more of this wonderful article, go to http://www.bridgton.com/grant-will-bring-gift-of-literacy-to-area-families/

By TAMMY WELLS Senior Staff Writer, York County Journal Tribune

Former First Lady Barbara Bush and Owen Wells of the Libra Foundation sat in rocking chairs and read stories Monday to a lot of little children.

The former first lady read about Bob the rooster, who mimicked many barnyard animals before he finally learned to crow.

Wells read about the Little Blue Truck that stopped to help a mired dump truck and found it needed help, too.

The kids, ranging from 2 months to 4 years old, attend First Steps Child Care. Their parents are students in the high school completion program. Both programs are under the helm of Sanford Community Adult Education.

 For more of this story, click on or type the URL below:

http://www.journaltribune.com/articles/2011/09/27/news/doc4e81dd7800f6b867914298.txt