The Florida Literacy Coalition was recently presented with the United States Conference of Adult Literacy’s (USCAL) Award for Program Innovation and Collaboration for the development of the Florida Health Literacy Initiative.

Florida Governor Rick Scott has issued a proclamation recognizing September as Florida Literacy Month. The fifth annual Florida Literacy Month will be celebrated in conjunction with International Literacy Day on Sept. 8 and National Library Card Signup Month. Florida’s First Lady, Ann Scott, will celebrate International Literacy Day at an event at the Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park to conclude her Summer Literacy Adventure. This September 8 event is collaboration between Florida State Parks, the Department of Education and the Department of State.

Eighteen Florida adult ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and family literacy programs were recently awarded one-year grants of up to $5,000 each to support the development of local health literacy programs.

Grant proposals are being accepted for the third year of the Florida Health Literacy Initiative. The Florida Health Literacy Initiative is a partnership between Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) and the Florida Literacy Coalition (FLC). This Initiative works to provide health-education resources for local adults in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and family literacy programs so that students make informed choices about their health and nutrition. The cornerstone of this three-year statewide initiative is a mini-grants program that will award twenty grants of $5,000 each in May 2011.

The Florida Literacy Coalition (FLC) is pleased to announce that its health literacy curriculum, Women’s Health: A Special Addition to Staying Healthy, received the 1st place award for Reads-Easy™ in the National Health Literacy Innovators contest.

The Florida Literacy Coalition announces two esteemed keynote speakers will highlight the organization’s 26th Annual Florida Literacy Conference, May 5-7, on Captiva Island.

With six Oscar nominations recently announced Precious, the movie based on the novel Push by Sapphire, is again in the headlines. However, Monica Baxley, an adult learner, wants people to know that learning to read can be much more difficult than it appears in Precious. Monica, who learned to read as an adult and then went on to get her GED, says, “Everybody learns at a different rate and it can take some people much longer to reach their goals.”

This is an inclusive list of the professional development/training events happening throughout the state of Florida. All events are free unless otherwise indicated. These events are all made possible through the support of the Florida Department of Education, Division of Career and Adult Education.

The Florida Literacy Coalition wants you to capture the love of reading through photography. Join in FLC’s first annual photo contest, capturing how words and literacy are experienced in our everyday lives through photography.

This is an inclusive list of the professional development/training events happening throughout the state of Florida. All events are free unless otherwise indicated. These events are all made possible through the support of the Florida Department of Education, Division of Career and Adult Education.