Every week the State Library honors a recipient of one of the literacy grants awarded by Secretary of State Jesse White and the Illinois State Library Literacy Office. This week they shine the spotlight on The Literacy Connection Family Literacy Program in Elgin.

A family from Mexico came to the United States in 2006 hoping for a better standard of living and providing the family’s children with an education. They learned through the children’s school about English as a Second Language (ESL) classes offered at The Literacy Connection. The mother did not have the opportunity to study in Mexico and wants to learn English so she can obtain a GED and a better paying job and help her two children with their homework.

Through the Family Literacy program she has improved her English speaking skills and can now help her son with his homework. Through PACT (Parent and Child Activities Together) the family has learned new vocabulary words, the need to spend quality time together and the son’s future hopes and aspirations. Through the Connection’s Family Readership initiaitve, the parents have learned the importance of taking the children to the library and reading to them. The family continues to learn English and is grateful for the opportunities offered through the Family Literacy Program.