SECTIONS 18880-18884 - California Statutes

EDUCATION CODE

SECTION 18880-18884

18880. (a) The California Library Literacy and English Acquisition
Services Program is hereby established within the California State
Library as a public library program designed to reduce illiteracy
among children and adults by providing English language literacy
instruction and related services to native and nonnative English
speaking youth and adults residing in California. For purposes of
this article, "English language literacy instruction" means the
development of basic skills of speaking, reading, and writing in the
English language.
(b) The California State Library shall allocate funds appropriated
in the Budget Act for the California Library Literacy and English
Acquisition Services Program to local library jurisdictions that are
effectively providing literacy services.
(c) At local discretion, jurisdictions may use their allocation
from the State Literacy Program for any of the services described in
Section 18881.
(d) The California State Library shall provide local jurisdictions
with technical assistance to the extent that resources are available
for this purpose.

18881. The California Library Literacy and English Acquisition
Services Program for public libraries may be used for any of the
following:
(a) (1) Services designed to reduce adult illiteracy by providing
English language literacy instruction and related services to adults
and youth who are not enrolled in school. A participating public
library may establish an adult literacy instructional program that
provides adult basic literacy instruction and related services.
Participant learning shall be evaluated on the basis of statewide
guidelines established by the State Librarian.
(2) The public library shall do all of the following in
establishing and implementing the program:
(A) Seek community and local government awareness of and support
for the program and develop a local commitment of resources for the
program's continuation.
(B) Develop cooperative relationships with other local literacy
service providers and participate in existing community adult
literacy coalitions, in order to address the wide variety of literacy
needs of the community and ensure an effective utilization of
resources. The public library shall assist in the establishment of a
community adult literacy coalition if none currently exists.
(C) Recruit and train volunteers to provide tutoring and other
services in public library and other community settings.
(D) Certify that the local jurisdiction will provide the same
level of local and private fiscal support as it did in the preceding
fiscal year.
(b) (1) Services to prevent illiteracy through coordinated
literacy and preliteracy services to families that include illiterate
adults and young children. The program shall provide reading
preparation services for young children in public library settings
and shall instruct parents in reading to their children. In addition,
the program shall provide technical assistance, parent support, and
any resources and materials necessary for its implementation.
(2) A public library implementing this service shall meet all of
the following requirements:
(A) Offer new services to families with young children with the
goal of helping the children become successful readers by increasing
their general competence, self-confidence, and positive emotional
associations with reading as a family experience and familiarity with
the lifelong use of library resources. Recruitment of parents not
previously included in public library literacy programs is a high
priority.
(B) Families eligible for the program shall include, but not be
limited to, those with young children up to the age of five years.
(C) Program meetings shall be held in public library settings.
(D) The public library literacy program staff and children's
services staff shall work in close coordination with the State
Library in administering the program to assure maximum integration of
literacy services to parents and preliteracy services to their
children.
(3) Services offered by a public library under this subdivision
shall include the following:
(A) Acquisition of books, of appropriate reading levels for, and
containing subjects of interest to, children for ownership by young
children of families participating in the program.
(B) Regular meetings of parents and children in public library
settings during hours that are suitable for parents and their
children.
(C) Storytelling, word games, and other exercises designed to
promote enjoyment of reading in adults and children.
(D) Use of children's books and language experience stories from
the meetings as material for adult literacy instruction.
(E) Instruction for parents in book selection and reading aloud to
children.
(F) Services to enhance full family participation and to foster a
family environment conducive to reading.
(G) Assistance to parents in using services in order to access
books and other materials on such topics as parenting, child care,
health, nutrition, and family life education.
(H) Other services, as necessary to enable families to participate
in the program.
(c) Services for pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12,
inclusive, and their families in local English language learner and
literacy programs. Local libraries may offer year-round literacy and
English language tutoring in collaboration with nonprofit and other
local organizations.

18883. A local library shall ensure that funds received pursuant to
this chapter are exclusively used for expenses resulting from
providing English language and literacy services and shall ensure
that at least 90 percent of the funds received for the program are
expended on direct services and related materials.

18884. The State Librarian shall provide a report by March 1, 2004,
to the Legislature that includes, but is not limited to, all of the
following information:
(a) The amount of funding allocated pursuant to this chapter.
(b) The number of libraries or schools participating in the
program.
(c) The types of services to be provided with funds received
pursuant to this chapter.
(d) The number of English language learners participating in the
program.
(e) The number of parents or adults participating in the program.