News Release

07/18/2007
RI Family Literacy Initiative Awarded $145,000 RIDE Grant
Statewide program continues to garner honors

The Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative (RIFLI), a highly successful public library collaboration of the Cranston, East Providence, Pawtucket, Providence and West Warwick public libraries, has been awarded a $145,000 Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) grant. RIFLI is one of 38 community-based agencies throughout Rhode Island that provide adult education programs to be awarded a RIDE grant this year.

The RIFLI grant, to be used during the 2007 – 08 academic year, represents an increase of $54,000 over what the program received from the State last year and is a seven-fold increase in the amount the program received initially in 2001. The grant will enable RIFLI, which is based at Providence Public Library, to continue to offer English as a Second Language (ESL), citizenship preparation, computer and family literacy classes of the highest quality.

Founded in 1988, RIFLI has been recognized continually for its innovation and successes over its nearly 20 years. Learners come from all over Rhode Island to attend the library-based classes. In the 2006-2007 academic year, RIFLI served 376 adult learners as well as 137 children. Adult learners in the program come from 54 countries and speak more than eight different languages. Nineteen RIFLI students earned their U.S. citizenship during this past year. Based on testing with a nationally recognized assessment instrument, 58 percent of RIFLI adult learners achieved an increase in their language functioning level during this past year (September – June).

Recently, RIFLI was recognized with the Verizon/National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) 2007 Tech Savvy Award for the Eastern Region in light of its use of technology. In 2004, RIFLI was designated by The Nellie Mae Education Foundation as a 2004 Exemplary New England Adult and Family Literacy Program. For more information about the program, visit www.rifli.org.