The introduction of the partnerships manual provides an overview of the Family Literacy Action Group, its history and activities. It also gives some background on the partnerships project, and describes how the manual was developed and how it is organized.

It's important to note that the manual has been developed to accommodate those who are initiating partnerships in the very first stages of developing their family literacy program. It's our belief that the most effective way of building support and commitment for your program is to give your community partners significant roles in all stages of program development. As the saying goes, "People will support what they help to create." That being said, if your program is already established or in the process of being developed, and you are now looking for partners or wanting to strengthen the partnerships you have, you will still find relevant, useful information here to support your efforts.