Toyota Launches Literacy Program in Shelby County, Alabama

Contributes Nearly $3 Million to Expand Program to Five Additional Cities Nationwide

SHELBY COUNTY, AL - February 25, 2006: Toyota today ysterday that three Shelby County schools will be the newest sites for its successful Toyota Family Literacy Program (TFLP). TFLP -- the first nationwide program of its kind to focus on the needs of Hispanic and other immigrant families -- is coordinated by the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), the country's leading advocate for family literacy. Shelby County Schools will receive a total contribution of nearly $600,000 from Toyota, including a $350,000 grant to launch programs at Valley Elementary School, Creek View Elementary School and Meadow View Elementary School. Toyota will also provide funding for three years of comprehensive support from NCFL including training, educational materials and assistance in launching the programs.

In addition to Shelby County, Toyota and NCFL announced the expansion of the Toyota Family Literacy Program into four other communities with high, or fast-growing, Hispanic populations, including Detroit; Chelsea (Boston), Mass.; Santa Paula, Calif.; and Denver. Contributions by Toyota for the five new programs total nearly $3 million.

Initially developed in 2003 and introduced in Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Chicago and Providence, R.I., the Toyota Family Literacy Program aims to increase basic language and literacy skills among Hispanic and other immigrant families, and provide parents with the skills they need to help their children succeed in school. The program specifically serves children in K – 3rd grade and their parents. TFLP is unique in that it incorporates NCFL's multicultural family literacy model which combines key components including: ESL courses, early childhood education, parenting education, Parent and Child Together (PACT) activities, and computer-literacy instruction.

"This program will allow us to more effectively meet the needs of our immigrant and minority families in our schools and provides us with a strong model for parental involvement," said Evan Major, superintendent, Shelby County Schools. "Parents are the most important teachers children have, and the Toyota Family Literacy Program allows us to equip parents with valuable tools to enhance their children's education at home and at school."

The first five communities that initiated the Toyota Family Literacy Program in 2003 have proven the success of NCFL's model by achieving impressive results, including:

• Significant literacy gains by adults, the majority of which improved their literacy scores by one or more levels;
• Ratings for children in the program that exceeded peers in areas including academic performance, motivation to learn, attendance, classroom behavior, involvement in classroom activities, and other areas;
• Demand for the program has produced waiting lists at the majority of program sites;
• By the end of the first program year, 70% of participating families held a library card.

"We're very proud that Toyota has expanded our partnership following the success of the Toyota Family Literacy Program over the past several years," said Sharon Darling, NCFL founder and president. "Our goal is to continue to meet the pressing needs of Hispanic and other immigrant families both in Shelby County and across the country."

"Toyota's operations in Alabama have made a major contribution to our success in the United States," said Dennis Cuneo, senior vice president, Toyota Motor North America, Inc. "By expanding the Toyota Family Literacy Program to Shelby County, our goal is to help families not only increase their literacy skills, but also become fully involved in their children's education and the local community. We've seen hundreds of success stories across the country during our 15-year partnership with NCFL and I'm excited about the possibilities here in Alabama."