If you need to earn your GED and have a child between 6 weeks and 5 years old, this program is for you! We provide free GED and parenting classes, on-site childcare, and more. This program is based at Liberty Primary School. Please contact Annette Felty at (864) 397-2165 for more information.

Welcome To Parenting and Family Literacy Center!

 Research tells us that children begin learning at birth. Since parents are children’s first and most important teachers, it is crucial that we offer our children many opportunities for learning. Talking, singing, playing with, and reading aloud to your children will allow many opportunities for your children to develop language and literacy. Family Literacy is about learning together. Remember…it is never too early to start learning. 

Family Literacy is a unique and holistic approach to serving the educational needs of families. The Pickens County Parenting & Family Literacy Program serves parents with children five and under. Parents and children attend school and learn together.

The Parenting & Family Literacy Program is a quality program that is making a difference in the lives of the families it serves. This program offers adult education, ESOL classes, childcare (6 weeks to 4 years), ILA (Interactive Literacy Activities), transportation, parent education, breakfast/lunch, and referrals to other support agencies in the county.

We believe parents are their child's first and most important teachers. Our goal is to help them learn the skills they need to experience academic success as well as to acquire good parenting skills. Family Literacy helps parents and children form a learning partnership that results in the adult students making academic and parenting gains and their children making gains in literacy and language development. We expect that what we teach the parents and children will help them attain a "Bridge to the Future" so that we see intergenerational success and eliminate poverty and illiteracy in the families we serve.

Family Literacy directly affects the role and effectiveness of parents in helping their children learn. If parents understand the language and literacy lessons their children learn in school, they can more easily provide the experiences necessary for their children to experience success. Bringing parents and children together to learn in an educational setting is the focal point of family literacy and the way to provide parents with firsthand experiences about what their children learn and how they are taught.

Literacy and poverty are huge concerns in Pickens County. According to the South Carolina Community Profiles website 19.8% of the children ages zero to seventeen who reside in Pickens County live in poverty. The 2000 Census statistics show that 16.9% of residents do not have a high school equivalency diploma.

To best determine the needs of the Pickens County community, people from various community programs, resource agencies, community members, local businesses, and the School District of Pickens County serve on our Family Literacy advisory committee.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Pickens Parenting and Family Literacy Program is to provide opportunities for families to experience life-long learning through integrated educational services in a safe and nurturing environment.

 
The Parenting & Family Literacy Program staff...

• Recognizes that parents are their children's first and most important teachers

• Believes that all families have strengths

• Encourages reading aloud to your children

• Believes that all adults and children can learn

• Believes that parenting is one of the most challenging jobs you will ever experience as well as one of the most rewarding

• Encourages families to attend regularly

• Fosters self-confidence, civic responsibility, and a respect for diversity

Vision Statement

Teaching + Learning + Sharing = Success