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Miranda Restovic
Director
504.620.2486
Christopher Robert
Assistant Director
504.620.2639
Adrienne McFaul, Ph.D.
Assistant Director
504.523.4252
[email protected]
Tara Zapp Assistant Director 504.620.2627 Faye Flanagan
Senior Consultant Holly Bell, Ph.D. Education Consultant
504.620.2627
Deatrice Green
Special Projects Coordinator
Michael Sartisky, Ph.D.
President
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PRIME TIME and the Pugh Family Fund Improve Early Childhood Education in Lafayette Parish
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Funded by a three-year commitment from the Pugh Family Fund, a fund at the Community Foundation of Acadiana (CFA), PRIME TIME Preschool will reach an estimated 225 parish families through the spring of 2016.
"This is a tremendous opportunity to use a nationally proven program to assist hundreds of families to gain literacy skills here in Lafayette Parish," stated Dr. Pat Cooper, Lafayette Parish School System (LPSS) Superintendent. "We are grateful to the Pugh Family Fund for being a wonderful community partner."
With the Pugh Family Fund's support, Lafayette Parish will become only the second major school system-wide pilot for PRIME TIME Preschool in Louisiana. Participating parents learn essential skills to impart the gift of reading to their preschool-age children, including lessons on how to book-share with their children, how to ask questions that encourage critical thinking, how to make reading enjoyable and relevant, and how to encourage children to internalize a love of learning. Through the partnership with LPSS, PRIME TIME brings educationally and economically vulnerable families into schools, a key step in reversing the effects of intergenerational illiteracy.
"We are excited about PRIME TIME Preschool for two reasons, bringing families together around literacy at an incredibly important developmental stage and being able to further support Dr. Pat Cooper's Turnaround Plan," said Nan Pugh.
The preschool model is the latest innovation for a family literacy program that originated in Louisiana in 1991. Participating families attend weekly sessions for six weeks, engaging in structured family literacy time based in storytelling and literary exploration with trained PRIME TIME team members. Each family receives a meal during the session and a set of children's books to take home. A total of 3 programs in Lafayette Parish will result from the PRIME TIME partnership with the Pugh Family Fund, providing many more residents with the opportunity for familial bonding around the act of reading and helping improve the life trajectories for the children of Lafayette Parish.
Program Information:
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Parish
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Site
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Day
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Start
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End
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Time
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Lafayette
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Lafayette Parish School System--Carencro Heights Elementary
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Thursday
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2/20/14
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4/3/14
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5:15 PM
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Lafayette
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Lafayette Parish School System--Ossun Elementary
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Wednesday
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3/12/14
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4/16/14
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5:30 PM
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Lafayette
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Lafayette Parish School System--Truman Early Childhood Ed. Center
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Wednesday
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3/12/14
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4/16/14
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5:30 PM
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"The Pugh Family Fund's commitment to improving early childhood education in Greater Lafayette over the next three years is more than exemplary," stated Ms. Miranda Restovic, LEH Deputy Director and PRIME TIME Program Director. "I want to personally thank Nan and Nick Pugh, as well as the entire family, for having the long-term vision to provide pivotal seed funding for this parish-wide effort."
Learn more about the Pugh Family fund by visiting www.cfacadiana.org.
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The Kentucky Humanities Council Hosts its 10th PRIME TIME Training Workshop
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 The Kentucky Humanities Council (KHC) has hosted 9 independently funded and administered training workshops in previous years, and plans to conduct a 10th workshop on Friday, February 28th - Saturday, March 1st. Adding to its large cadre of trained program coordinators, scholars, and storytellers, this training contribute to the consistent growth of KHC's PRIME TIME infrastructure. PRIME TIME Education Consultant, Dr. Holly Bell, will attend.
KHC has been a PRIME TIME partner for over 10 years. In 2002 the LEH awarded KHC one of several NEH National Expansion Grants, which formed the basis for this long-standing partnership. An active PRIME TIME affiliate state since receiving the initial award, KHC has partially funded and successfully completed 149 PRIME TIME programs with additional funding from The Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives (KDLA).
 The Kentucky Humanities Council is also partnered with PRIME TIME, Inc. on its most recent national expansion award from the National Endowment for the Humanities' (NEH). As part of this national initiative, project directors in the 5 sub-grant recipient states are provided with funding, resources, and increased autonomy in the administration of PRIME TIME.
The LEH and PRIME TIME greatly appreciate the Kentucky Humanities Council as well as its supporters and partners for their commitment to literacy and the humanities on behalf of Kentucky's families. Their partnership has been invaluable in the national expansion of PRIME TIME and we are excited to move forward with this partnership. Learn more about PRIME TIME in Kentucky here.
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PRIME TIME Helps the New Orleans Public Library "Turn the Page"
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 On Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014, PRIME TIME staff participated in the kickoff for the "Turn the Page" campaign at the New Orleans Public Library Main Branch.
An initiative of the New Orleans Public Library, the "Turn the Page" is an inclusive, collaborative literacy campaign designed to create positive awareness of literacy in the City of New Orleans and efforts under way to increase it. The campaign is an important initiative with a bold goal-to make New Orleans the most literate city by its 300th birthday in 2018, and it will all begin with this event. The New Orleans Public Library recognizes that young people and schools have an important role to play in achieving this goal.
Approximately 500 1st and 2nd grade students from several schools in the metropolitan New Orleans area were invited to participate in the campaign kickoff event which celebrated the sights, sounds and tastes of New Orleans and included an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for "Largest Reading Lesson" with a reading of "The Bourbon Street Band is Back."
In addition to the New Orleans Public Library and its foundation, 10 neighboring parish library systems throughout the metropolitan and bayou regions, Irvin Mayfield, Wendell Pierce and state, city and parish elected officials contributed to and/participated in the planning of the campaign kickoff.
The LEH is a partner organization for the campaign and PRIME TIME Director, Miranda Restovic, is a member of the campaign's Steering Committee. The LEH will manage the monitoring and tracking of region-wide literacy programming in conjunction with the Turn the Page campaign. Restovic contributed to the planning of the kickoff and the design of the overall campaign. The PRIME TIME staff were excited to serve as volunteers during the kickoff event.
Learn more about the "Turn the Page" kickoff event as well as upcoming campaign activities here.
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PRIME TIME Participates in the Urban League of Greater New Orleans' 2014 School Expo
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 On Saturday, February 1, 2014, the Urban League of Greater New Orleans will host its 8th annual Schools Expo at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome from 10am-2pm. This event has become critical in creating equity in school choice while building a brighter future for all children. By providing a one-stop shop, parents learn about most school options in New Orleans. Targeting parents and guardians of children entering grades Pre-K - 12, the goal of the Expo is to allow parents the opportunity to apply to all public schools in New Orleans; including public charter schools; meet with school representatives; learn about the new enrollment process; learn more about the Louisiana Student Scholarship (voucher) Program and eligibility requirements; access community resources throughout the city; enjoy free food and festivities; and receive free uniform vouchers, backpacks, and school supplies.
The PRIME TIME staff will participate by hosting a community resource booth, and sharing details about PRIME TIME, its success, and opportunities to participate in programs throughout the metro area with local parents in attendance.
Click here to learn more about this invaluable event for New Orleans families.
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Fall 2014 PRIME TIME Program Applications Available
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The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities is now accepting applications for fall 2014 programs in Louisiana. Public libraries, schools, early learning centers, community centers, and other public institutions are encouraged to apply.
Click here to learn more about PRIME TIME and how it yields long-term improvements in student academic achievement.
Available Program Applications (click links):
Eligible Partner Organizations:
- Library Systems and Individual Branches
- School Districts, Charter Organizations, and Individual Schools
- Early Learning Centers
- Museums
- Community Service Agencies
PRIME TIME applications are available twice annually for fall and spring/summer sessions. The deadline to apply for programs that will take place during fall 2014 is Tuesday, April 15th. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions by Thursday, May 1st.
Click here to access a PRIME TIME grant application. For more information about PRIME TIME please download the program brochure or email [email protected].
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PRIME TIME Scholar and Storyteller Recruitment
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 The PRIME TIME staff is seeking qualified professionals to train and serve as scholars and storytellers throughout the state. PRIME TIME scholars and storytellers are the backbone of the program, and their roles define the quality and impact of each program. Reading stories and asking families questions about them seems simple, but it truly takes a special personality to successfully carry out those tasks according to the PRIME TIME methodology.
PRIME TIME requires professionalism, strong work ethic, a willingness to learn, commitment to preparation, and a desire to serve vulnerable populations. Accordingly, scholars and storytellers are not asked to volunteer their time and expertise. Stipends for program facilitation and mileage reimbursement for traveling to and from program sites is provided.
Click here for details on eligibility and/or the selection process. Prospective candidates should complete the online inquiry form and other relevant tasks, and contact Shantrell Adams with questions.
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PRIME TIME Completes its January 2014 Training Workshop Successfully!
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The PRIME TIME Training Workshop was held on January 18 - 19, 2014 at the Louisiana Humanities Center at Turners' Hall in New Orleans. By all accounts the two-day event achieved its goal of preparing the newest group of team members for their programmatic roles in 2014!
Nearly 115 new affiliate project directors, scholars, and storytellers descended upon New Orleans to engage in intensive instruction and practice on the PRIME TIME methodology and program implementation strategies. Participants from Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, and New Mexico were trained by experienced consultants and PRIME TIME staff members. As always, the training workshop was a fun and enlightening experience for all.
During the days ahead of the training (January 16 - 17, 2014), the PRIME TIME staff completed its annual convening of affiliate project directors. The National Partner Meeting was attended by project directors from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Washington. During the meeting, the staff and project directors discuss critical issues related to the development and growth of PRIME TIME. The 3rd meeting was lively and productive. We appreciate our partners for attending and look forward to hosting a 4th meeting in 2015.
Details on the July 2014 training workshop will be made available soon. In the meantime, questions regarding the training workshop and upcoming training opportunities can be directed to the PRIME TIME staff.
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