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Regular Agenda Item 4. H.
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| Regular BOS Meeting |
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| Information |
| Request/Subject |
| Grantee Agreement GRA-RC004-19-0919-01-Y2 between the Gila Regional Partnership Council, Arizona Early Childhood Development and Health Board (First Things First) and Gila County Library District for the period July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020. |
| Background Information |
| The Gila County Library District's "First Things First Parent Education Community-Based Training Grant" is a government-to-government agreement with the Gila Regional Council. This is a grant renewal and shall become effective for the period July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020. Total funds available are $60,000 for this period. This agreement continues the Early Literacy strategy begun by the previous First Things First Parent Education Community-Based Training Grants that began in fiscal year 2011. |
| Evaluation |
The current Early Literacy Grant from "First Things First" has been highly successful in providing curriculum materials and educational training to the libraries in the service area for their use in programming and training for parents. Additionally, library staff have heard only positive comments regarding the training provided to parents on the importance of early literacy skills and of reading to their children. At this time, 1,230 children ages birth to five years are enrolled in this program and receive books each month to foster the importance of reading and the six pre-reading skills, as well as proving parents with material to read each month.In addition, Since 2011, and additional 2,916 children have graduated' from the program by turning five.
The public libraries are continuing to tailor and adapt programming geared at these ages and to encourage families to expand the reading opportunity by visiting the library and borrowing other books to read.
The number of children turning five and graduating along with the number of children moving out of the area has been greater than the number of new enrollees during the current fiscal year. A net reduction in children was also the experience from the past fiscal year. Staff believe that the loss in enrolled children is a result of the loss of community liaisons due to grant amount reductions from previous years. To address the decline in enrolled children, staff were able to add two temporary part-time community liaison positions during the last grant cycle. Increased enrollment has been noted, resulting in continued funding for the two community liaison positions for FY2020. |
| Conclusion |
| Of all the programs that the Gila County Library District administers, fosters, or promotes, this grant gives staff the opportunity to reach the most residents, and creates a climate and culture to develop the pre-reading skills necessary for literacy in children. The grant has a goal of enrolling 1,500 children in this program. This agreement continues what the first cycle of First Things First grants started. |
| Recommendation |
| The Gila County Library District recommends that the Board of Directors approve submission of this government-to-government agreement for the First Things First Parent Education Community-Based Literacy Grant for the amount of $60,000 for fiscal year July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020. |
| Suggested Motion |
| (Motion to adjourn as the Gila County Board of Supervisors, and convene as the Gila County Library District Board of Directors.) Information/Discussion/Action to approve submission of Grantee Agreement No. GRA-RC004-19-0919-01-Y2 between the Gila Regional Partnership Council, Arizona Early Childhood Development and Health Board (First Things First) and the Gila County Library District in the amount of $60,000 for fiscal year July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020. (Jacque Sanders) |
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