Families Learning and Growing (F.L.A.G.ship)

The F.L.A.G.ship program provides literacy-building activities and materials to children and families in an isolated community within Marin County, California. The "F.L.A.G.ship" is a big, colorful bus that makes weekly visits to over ten sites throughout Marin. The bus is staffed with a driver, Coordinator, and a Family Advocate who provides parents with information about community services, health workshops, and resources. The program runs for approximately 1.5 hours and consists of: free play on the bus, circle time (with stories and songs in English and Spanish), and an art activity or supervised outdoor game. The program is intended for families with children ages zero to five.

F.L.A.G.ship is operated by the Marin Literacy Program and supported through a combination of federal and foundational funds, as well as individual contributions. All services are free.

The program's goal is to provide school readiness activities for families with children, from birth to five years old, who live in isolated and under-served areas of Marin County.

The 2008-2009 First 5 Marin Annual Evaluation Report revealed that F.L.A.G.ship helped 1,469 children ages 0-5 and their families developed/practiced read-aloud skills. All parents/caregivers attended at least two health related workshops and 100% of children improved their fine motor skills through arts/activities.