Section 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.

(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 573, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 2004.)