GROWS Literacy Council at 947 S. Orange Blossom Trail, Apopka, FL 32703 US - Family Literacy Academy

The Apopka GROWS Family Literacy Academy

The Apopka GROWS Family Literacy Academy is one of 12 academies in the state that were established by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. The Academy is supported by the Volunteer USA Foundation, through its Florida Family Literacy Initiative.  

Our Mission: To empower families to improve their English skills in order to meet life and employment challenges and to assist parents in becoming full partners in their children’s education and success.

Our Goals: The two main goals of the Academy are to help families acquire English language skills and to assist parents in discovering, affirming and expanding their strengths as educational role models and mentors in their families.

To accomplish these goals, the Academy teaches adults to read, write and speak English, and emphasizes the importance of having parents give their children the opportunity to do well in school and to create better lives for themselves and succeeding generations. The program focuses in particular on immigrant families, who face multiple problems such as low wages, lack of health benefits, language barriers, cultural isolation and lack of ability to help their children achieve success in school and adapt to North American culture.

Family Literacy Components: The Academy includes the following components in the course of study for enrolled parents and children.

1. Adult Education: Enhancing and raising the educational level of parents, in order to help them gain the motivation, skills and knowledge to become employed and/or to pursue further education or job training.

2. Parent Education: Training parents to be their pre-K children’s first teacher and to participate effectively in their children’s education.  Improving parents’ knowledge, attitudes and skills pertaining to the growth and development of their children.

3. Early Childhood Literacy: Increasing the developmental skills of children, to better prepare them for academic and social success in school.           

4. Parent and Children Together (PACT) Time: Encouraging the active role of parents as “first teachers,” and strengthening the learning relationship between parents and their children.