| PublicationDate: 12/1/97 Summary: An Additional Waiver of FWS Institutional-share Requirement Author: ODAS - Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary - SFA Posted December 1, 1997 Dear Friend: We appreciate the enthusiastic response from institutions using the Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program to support the America Reads Challenge. We are pleased to announce an additional waiver of the FWS institutional-share requirement for tutors in a family literacy program that provides services to families with children from infancy through elementary school. Effective July 1, 1998, this new waiver will allow 100 percent of the wages of an FWS tutor in a family literacy program to be paid from federal dollars. For planning purposes, some initial questions and answers are provided below. A more extensive "Dear Colleague" letter will be available by the end of February 1998. 1. How will this regulation change affect the current waiver for FWS reading tutors? The Secretary of Education previously added a waiver of the FWS institutional-share requirement for reading tutors of children, that went into effect on July 1, 1997. The new FWS waiver, effective July 1, 1998, will provide additional flexibility for institutions to help children read well and independently by the end of third grade. It applies to FWS tutors working in a family literacy program and providing literacy services to children from infancy through elementary school and/or to their parents or caregivers who may need assistance with their own literacy skills. 2. Why did the Department of Education decide to make this change? This new waiver for tutors working in family literacy programs is based on research that shows that children whose parents work with them on literacy skills during early childhood have a significantly better chance of reading well and independently. Unfortunately, not all parents or caregivers have the literacy skills necessary to work with their children to ensure that each child has the proper foundation for reading skills. We have received comments from organizations that focus on family literacy indicating that the expansion of the waiver to tutors involved in family literacy programs is very important to meeting the goal of children reading well and independently by the end of third grade. 3. What is a family literacy program? A "family literacy program" integrates the following: Literacy tutoring for children Literacy training for parents or caregivers of children in the program Equipping parents or caregivers with the skills needed to partner with their children in learning Literacy activities between parents or caregivers and their children A more detailed explanation of family literacy programs will be provided in the February "Dear Colleague" letter. 4. Will FWS reading tutors have to work in a family literacy program in order to qualify for the matching requirement waiver? No, FWS reading tutors may continue to tutor children who are not in a family literacy program and still qualify for a waiver of the institutional-share requirement. The regulation change will expand the waiver to allow FWS students to tutor in family literacy programs that provide services to families with children from infancy through elementary school. In either case, the FWS reading tutor must work for the institution itself, for a Federal, State, or local public agency, or for a private nonprofit organization. For the full text of the November 28, 1997 final regulation, please visit the following Web sites: http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm http://www.ed.gov/news.html We hope this regulation change will provide you with additional flexibility to respond to the President's America Reads Challenge, which is mobilizing resources to ensure that all children read well and independently by the end of third grade. Thank you for your support of the America Reads Challenge! Sincerely, Carol H. Rasco Elizabeth M. Hicks Senior Advisor to the Secretary Deputy Assistant Secretary Director, America Reads Challenge for Student Financial Assistance |