[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 49 (Tuesday, April 28, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3735-S3736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        A LITERACY SUCCESS STORY

 Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, on behalf of myself, Senator 
Jeffords and Senator Reed, I would like to submit this statement given 
by Ms. Raynice Brumfield of Washington, D.C. for the Record. Ms. 
Brumfield testified at this morning's Labor and Human Resources 
Committee hearing on Reading and Literacy Initiatives. I commend her 
for the progress she has made as a participant of the D.C. Head Start 
Toyota

[[Page S3736]]

Family Literacy Program. Her testimony was very moving and she is a 
success story for others to emulate.
  Mr. President, I ask that Ms. Brumfield's testimony be printed in the 
Record.
  The testimony follows:

  Testimony of Raynice Brumfield, District of Columbia Public Schools 
             Head Start ``Toyota Family Literacy Program''

       Ms. Brumfield. Thank you Senator Jeffords and members of 
     the Senate Committee, for inviting me to share my story with 
     you. By virtue of the fact that I can sit before you to take 
     part in this occasion, proves that without a program like the 
     Toyota Family Learning Tree, I would still be just stuck in 
     the house, taking care of my two small children, faced with a 
     future that didn't look bright.
       I am Raynice Brumfield. I am a 25 year old single parent 
     with four children; James 10, Delonte 8, Kiara 5, and Tyrone, 
     age 4. I was born in Washington, D.C., and attended the 
     public schools there. When I was 15 years old I became 
     pregnant with my first child. Between the ages of 15 and 17, 
     I worked at various jobs. I soon found that I could not make 
     enough money to afford food, clothing, baby supplies and 
     living expenses. At age 17, I became pregnant with my second 
     child. By 19, I enrolled in one of the District of Columbia's 
     public vocational schools. I dropped out of that school 
     because the staff was not sensitive to the needs of young 
     mothers, and I did not feel safe in that environment. I 
     started to receive Public Assistance when I was 19, and soon 
     became pregnant with Kiara, and the next year, Tyrone.
       The opportunity to further my education, while being close 
     to my children, seemed like a dream come true. On September 
     30th, 1996 my children and I started school. The adult 
     education teacher (Mrs. Grace Blackwood), and the parenting 
     instructor (Mrs. Irene Ball), greeted me warmly. I was quiet, 
     scared, and very unsure of myself.
       When I entered the program my reading and math levels were 
     at a second grade level. My teachers, and the program's 
     coordinator, Mrs. Peggy Minnis, made the other parents and me 
     feel like we could accomplish anything. They made sure that 
     we maintained a positive self esteem. We were encouraged to 
     set goals, and they helped us work to meet each goal. The 
     work was hard, but soon it became a daily routine, for my 
     children and I to sit at the kitchen table, learning 
     together. As my reading skills improved, I began to enjoy 
     reading stories to my children at home, and going into their 
     classroom to practice and share my new skills with any child 
     who wanted to crawl up in my lap, to hear me read. The harder 
     I worked, the easier it became to help my older children with 
     their homework. I began taking part in the activities at 
     their school. My children's home library grew from 2 or 3 
     books, to over 40. Reading stories or telling stories to my 
     children has helped in their language development and 
     provided me with practice in reading.
       The parenting course helped me understand child 
     development. Understanding the stages that my children were 
     going through, helped me to be patient, understanding, and 
     able to predict their behavior. I learned that there are 
     whole new worlds that my family and I can explore for free. 
     We visit these new worlds every weekend inside the public 
     library. I tell my children that even though we don't have a 
     lot of money, we can still visit far away places and people. 
     Most importantly, we enjoy these adventures as a family. All 
     of my children have their own library cards. I've become a 
     responsible citizen who has a voter registration card and I 
     vote.
       As a result of being in the Toyota Family Literacy Program, 
     new worlds have opened up for me and my family. Worlds that 
     were once just part of my day dreams. . . . are now a 
     reality. I am proud to tell you that I now read on a 10th 
     grade level, and my math skills have increased to a 9th grade 
     level. I received an award from my children's school, which 
     honored me as being, ``Most Active Parent in Schoolwide 
     Activities.'' I have volunteered more than 200 hours in my 
     children's school. My children's report cards and teacher 
     comments are no longer negative, but positive. I was invited 
     to speak at last year's 27th Annual Congressional Black 
     Caucus Legislative Conference in Washington, DC, by New 
     Jersey's Representative Donald M. Payne. I shared how Toyota 
     through the National Center for Family Literacy and the Head 
     Start Program are helping to improve literacy in the African 
     American community by focusing on young children and their 
     parents. That speech was placed on the E-mail system of every 
     congressman and representative in Congress. Now the most 
     powerful people in the United States have heard about the 
     wonderful work that all of you in this room have dedicated 
     your lives to.
       In January, the Head Start Program invited me to be a guest 
     speaker at their staff development activities. Again, I told 
     how family literacy programs make futures bright. I just took 
     the GED examination on the 16th.
       My adult education teacher encouraged me to apply for an 
     intensive training program through the YWCA's Non-Traditional 
     Jobs For Women Program last school year. I was accepted into 
     the program, and have completed the training, which prepared 
     me to be trained as a carpenter, plumber, mason, or 
     electrical worker.
       Upon notification of having passed the GED, I have been 
     promised priority consideration for a non-traditional job at 
     George Washington University (in the District of Columbia) 
     through a partnership that has been set up between our 
     program and the university. I will have the opportunity to 
     work for no less than $12.00 per hour, have paid leave and 
     benefits for my entire family.
       I will gain experience, meet new people, and most 
     importantly, the opportunity to continue my education free of 
     charge. Upon advancement in my job, my children will be able 
     to attend George Washington University and get their college 
     education for free.
       The partnership between Head Start, the National Center for 
     Family Literacy and the Toyota Corporation have made my 
     future look bright. By nurturing the promise of providing a 
     quality education to my children and me, they have given me 
     empowerment through Literacy.

                          ____________________