The Family Literacy Program

The Family Literacy Program, Office for ESOL Services, aims to empower, and connect English Learner (EL) families to their community and with their children’s school. Adult learners acquire basic English language skills while learning how to understand, participate and support in their children’s education in Fairfax County Public Schools.

The Family Literacy Program aims:

• To build a strong bridge between home and school that promotes equitable and culturally responsive partnerships between families and school staff.  
• To increase the capacity of families to include tech literacy, language skills, early literacy and others.
• To elevate and affirm each families’ culture, language and traditions to encourage a strong sense of identity and belonging among children.
• To empower families to advocate for their children by providing the tools they need to effectively communicate with schools, including understanding family engagement expectations in Fairfax County Public Schools.
• To promote intergenerational activities in the home to strengthen bonds within the family.  
• To expand access to resources, experiences, services and programs within FCPS and in the community to foster families’ independence.
• To enhance trust and connections among program participants to build community. 

About the Family Literacy Program

• Empowers families of FCPS students by improving essential life skills and English language abilities.
• Builds a necessary social network that increases the confidence of each student, allowing them to engage in new volunteer and student advocacy experiences.
• Supports efforts of family members to become active and knowledgeable about their children’s school and community.
• Provides a preschool environment for children ages 3-5. Teachers and families work with preschoolers to acquire early literacy skills needed in kindergarten.
• Provides child enrichment activities for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. Teachers and families work with students to support learning.

Program Eligibility

This program is designed for families who have children in Fairfax County Public Schools.  Participants must:

• Live in Fairfax County
• Have a child attending FCPS or one who will attend FCPS

General Program Information

The Family Literacy program is free to families and offered in two, twelve-week semesters. Classes meet twice a week for two hours and are offered both in-person or virtually. The fall semester begins in September and ends in mid December, before FCPS’s winter break. Our spring semester begins the first week in February and ends at the end of April. There are no classes offered in January. Registration is ongoing. This program is yearlong and the expectation is that students will attend classes both semesters.

Register

• Check the site chart to see if your school offers a program
• If your school is listed, contact the person in that school to find out class information.
• If your school does not offer a program, contact Natalia Sosa Molina in the Family Literacy Office via email [email protected] or by phone at 571-423-4647 to see if there are openings at other schools and for general information.
• If there is space, you will be invited to attend a class, either virtually or in-person. Someone from the Family Literacy program will contact you via email or by phone.  If you decide to participate in a virtual program, a class link (Google Meet or Zoom) will be shared with you.

For More Information Contact:

• Micheline Lavalle, Family Literacy Specialist 571-423-4654
• Natalia Sosa Molina, Family Literacy Program Support 571-423-4647