Apr. 05, 2011
Toyota Family Literacy Program Marks 20 Years in U.S.
Toyota City, Japan, April 5, 2011―Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces that the Toyota Family Literacy Program, a program jointly founded by TMC, Toyota Motor North America, Inc. and the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), marked its 20th anniversary this month. The program, with a cumulative investment of 36 million U.S. dollars, provides English-language-literacy education in the United States in 256 locations across 50 cities and 30 states.
Marking the anniversary, Sharon Darling, president and founder of NCFL, said: "It is rare for a corporate partner to have such a long-term vision and unwavering commitment. Toyota's leadership―not only financial but also in terms of organizational and technical assistance―has helped family literacy programming continue to innovate."
Many children of parents who cannot read and write are also unable to read and write. To combat this, the program provides families opportunities to study together and improve their English-language literacy. The program started in five cities and focused on preschool children and their parents, but its scope has since been expanded to include immigrant families.
The 20th General Meeting of the program is running April 3 through April 5 at NCFL's headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. At the meeting, program teachers as well as participating families are formally recognized for their efforts.
Also marking the anniversary, TMC Honorary Chairman Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda toured a Kentucky family-literacy site and is scheduled to participate in NCFL's annual conference on April 4, local time. "The National Center for Family Literacy exemplifies the American spirit of lending a helping hand to people in need", Toyoda said. "We look forward to working hand in hand with everyone at the NCFL to improve the program further."
In the U.S., in addition to providing vehicles that meet consumer needs, Toyota is committed―as part of its aim to be a good corporate citizen―to proactively carrying out social contribution activities, including its free, traffic-safety education program Toyota Driving Expectations and its environmental protection program TogetherGreen.
Marking the anniversary, Sharon Darling, president and founder of NCFL, said: "It is rare for a corporate partner to have such a long-term vision and unwavering commitment. Toyota's leadership―not only financial but also in terms of organizational and technical assistance―has helped family literacy programming continue to innovate."
Many children of parents who cannot read and write are also unable to read and write. To combat this, the program provides families opportunities to study together and improve their English-language literacy. The program started in five cities and focused on preschool children and their parents, but its scope has since been expanded to include immigrant families.
The 20th General Meeting of the program is running April 3 through April 5 at NCFL's headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. At the meeting, program teachers as well as participating families are formally recognized for their efforts.
Also marking the anniversary, TMC Honorary Chairman Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda toured a Kentucky family-literacy site and is scheduled to participate in NCFL's annual conference on April 4, local time. "The National Center for Family Literacy exemplifies the American spirit of lending a helping hand to people in need", Toyoda said. "We look forward to working hand in hand with everyone at the NCFL to improve the program further."
In the U.S., in addition to providing vehicles that meet consumer needs, Toyota is committed―as part of its aim to be a good corporate citizen―to proactively carrying out social contribution activities, including its free, traffic-safety education program Toyota Driving Expectations and its environmental protection program TogetherGreen.
