NOTICES

Availability of Program Year 2001-02 State Act 143 of 1986 Grants for New and Expansion Family Literacy Programs

[31 Pa.B. 437]

   Act 143 of 1986, as approved by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and signed into law on October 22, 1986, established the Pennsylvania Adult Literacy Education Grant Program. This program is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for adult literacy and family literacy programs that will:

   1.  Enable out-of-school youth and adults 17 years of age and older who are nonreaders, or who read below the 5th grade level, or who lack basic English language proficiency to improve their basic skills in order to increase their prospects for a more productive life;

   2.  Expand the availability of adult literacy, family literacy and other adult education programs, including volunteer programs, in the Commonwealth; and

   3.  Only family literacy will provide services that are of sufficient intensity in terms of hours, and of sufficient duration, to make sustainable changes in a family, and that integrate all of the following:

   a.  Interactive literacy activities between parents and their children;

   b.  Training for parents regarding how to be the primary teacher for their children and full partners in the education of their children;

   c.  Parent literacy training that leads to economic self-sufficiency; and

   d.  An age-appropriate education to prepare children for success in school and life experiences.

   Eligible applicants include literacy councils, libraries, local education agencies, community colleges, public and private non-profit agencies, organizations and institutions.

   For Act 143 Family Literacy Programs, special consideration will be given in the following order of priority:

   1.  Applications for Renewal of grants to currently-funded Act 143 Family Literacy Programs, providing sufficient progress is made toward meeting program goals and objectives;

   2.  Applications for Expansion of existing family literacy programs within the same county(ies) to new school districts or charter schools, providing sufficient progress is made toward meeting program goals and objectives;

   3.  Applications for New Act 143 Family Literacy Programs by school districts or charter schools in unserved areas of counties not served by a current Act 143 or Federal Even Start grant; and

   4.  Applications for New Act 143 Family Literacy Programs by community-based organizations, in partnership with school districts and/or charter schools, in unserved areas of counties not served by a current Act 143 or Federal Even Start grant.

   Restrictions placed upon the State Department of Education for the administration of the grant by Act 143:

   1.  No more than 20% of the annual appropriation shall be used to provide education to institutionalized adults.

   2.  No more than 20% of the annual appropriation shall be used for programs of equivalency for a certificate of graduation from a secondary school.

   3.  At least 20% of the annual appropriation awarded for adult literacy grants shall be used for training volunteer adult literacy tutors.

   4.  No more than 10% of any grant to an eligible agency may be used for support services.

   5.  No more than 10% of any grant to an eligible agency may be used for administration.

   All Act 143 applications must be completed online and submitted via the e-grant website at http://www.egrants.ed.state.pa.us to the Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education, Pennsylvania Department of Education, on or before the following dates:

Act 143 Family Literacy Renewal    Applications	March 9, 2001
Act 143 Family Literacy Summer    Reading Renewal and	March 14, 2001

New Applications

Act 143 Adult Literacy Applications	March 23, 2001
Act 143 Family Literacy New and    Expanded Applications	April 3, 2001

   Instructions and the Application Guidelines are available via the ABLEsite at www.paadulted.org and via the e-grant website.

   Current grant recipients already have Master Agreements in effect that will expire June 30, 2003--provided that sufficient progress is made toward meeting program objectives. The agencies must execute a 2001-02 Program Year Rider L, to include a new budget and any changes to the application narrative in order to continue their funding. At the end of the grant period, grantees will be authorized to reapply and compete with other applicants for another multi-year term. These grants will be funded by Rider L to a Master Agreement executed between the Department of Education and the funded agency. Agencies not currently funded will be given instructions on execution of the Master Agreement once grant applications are accepted for approval.

   All potential applicants are urged to attend the proposal development workshop to learn the latest changes to program guidelines and new requirements for submitting e-grant applications for adult education and family literacy programs funded through (1) the Federal Workforce Investment Act, Section 231, (2) State Adult Literacy Program, Act 143 of 1986, and (3) the Federal Even Start Family Literacy Program. This workshop will be conducted by teleconference on January 30, 2001 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. For the nearest downlink site and to ensure that space, materials and handouts are available, all attendees must register to attend by contacting the Distance Learning Center at (800) 236-5293. For individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, the Pennsylvania Relay Service (800) 654-5984 TTY can be used to call the Distance Learning Center. A more detailed workshop will be conducted during Pennsylvania's annual Adult Education Midwinter Conference, which takes place from February 7-9, 2001 at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, PA. The workshop will be conducted on February 8, 2001, from 4 to 6 p.m. In order to ensure timely administration and processing of e-grant applications, both the grant writer and the fiscal officer should attend the workshop.

EUGENE W. HICKOK,   
Secretary

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 01-79. Filed for public inspection January 19, 2001, 9:00 a.m.]

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