Libraries receive grant to promote family literacy

The R.I. Department of Education has awarded $145,000 to the Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative (RIFLI), a cooperative program among the public libraries of East Providence, Pawtucket, Providence and West Warwick, to help fund programs such as English as a second language classes, citizenship preparation, and computer and family literacy programs.
The grant for the program – based at the Providence Public Library – represents a 59.3-percent increase over last year’s funding level. During the 2006-07 academic year, RIFLI served 376 adults and 137 children; nineteen of them earned their citizenship during the past year.
For more information about the Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative, go to www.rifli.org.