Literacy:
Spanning the U.S.
In Dallas, A Literacy Campaign Aims To Get New Moms To Read
To Their Babies
KERA News: 1.19.2016 by Stella M. Chávez
A new initiative
underway at Dallas’ Parkland Hospital is giving away free
bilingual books to moms who’ve just given birth. The plan is to give away as
many as 14,000 books this year.
Maria Guadalupe Quijas Duarte rests in her hospital bed
reading a book to her baby girl. It’s called “Read to Me.”
Since Jan. 1, all moms
having babies at Parkland Hospital
have received a copy of this book. The pages are filled with rhymes in English
and Spanish and English and Vietnamese as well as colorful illustrations of
parents with their children.
Trish Holland, a Dallas
children’s author, got the idea after hearing a news report about study on the literacy gap between Latino and white
children. She was inspired to do something.
“In this study, it
showed that 3-year-old Mexican-American children were up to eight months behind
their white peers in their language and reading readiness,” Holland said. “I
said, ‘How can that be? They’re only 3 years old?’ That’s a horrible
statistic.” READ MORE @
New Literacy Genesee
director aims to help residents in need
Daily News Online: 1.20.2016 by Joanne
Beck
Learning to
recite and make sense of one’s ABCs seems like a natural part of education for
many people.
But for far many, the
lessons stop there. Bob Curtis hopes to change that for at least some of the
estimated 7,000 people in Genesee County who have no high school diploma or who
need to learn the English language. Overall, up to 14,000 residents in Genesee
and Orleans counties have a need for adult educational services.
“The number has
increased with every census,” said Curtis, the new executive director of Literacy Genesee. “Some people are
struggling academically and others struggle socially. We can’t continue to just
do literacy, it now means functioning in math and computers.”
He filled the vacancy
left by former director Michelle Poupore late last fall. Since then Curtis
evaluated the program and client needs, implemented an expanded offering and
hired seven part-time staff members. His goal is to triple former client
numbers.
“I’m hoping that by
June 30 we will have served 50 to 100 people in Genesee and Orleans county,” he
said. “We will be expanding into Le Roy. When you see someone who wants a
diploma and can’t get here, it makes you want to move faster to help them.”
His clients are often
“very, very poor” due to not having a high school degree and sketchy reading
and math skills, he said. Reaching that population isn’t always easy, since
they may not be able to read the promotional materials. Yet Curtis has
discovered that the adage “where there’s a will there’s a way” also holds true
for those lacking in book smarts. READ MORE @
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Adult learners from the Literacy Center of West
Michigan share their writing
Learners enrolled in the Family Literacy
Program, at West Godwin Elementary, practiced their writing skills by writing
encouraging letters to their children.
The Rapidian: 1.21.2016 by Literacy
Center of West Michigan
In my English language
learners (ELL) class at West Godwin Elementary we have been working on letters
to the learners' children. They have learned to talk about their own goals, as
well as the goals of others, in past, present, and future tense. We also had a
lesson on words of encouragement, where the learners translated the words they
use to encourage their children in their own language into English. The lesson
highlighted the importance of supporting their children, which prompted us to
start this class project.
The learners wanted to
remain anonymous, but to have their writing shared with others. I am very proud
of the progress and revisions they have made – they are all very dedicated to
learning. - Carrie Roper, AmeriCorps ELL Instructor. READ MORE @
County library system
expands free GED program to more branches
Times News: 1.25.2016 by Anna Johnson
Through a partnership
with Alamance Community College, the Alamance County Public Library is
expanding its free GED classes to two other library branches.
Alamance County
residents interested in obtaining their General Educational Development
diplomas, high school diploma equivalency, or improving their literacy can
attend free classes at the May Memorial, North Park or Mebane libraries. The
North Park and Mebane classes began within the last week.Beth Snow, a literacy
specialist who teaches the May Memorial class, has witnessed the impact from
the class after watching 15 students come together to learn and support one
another during the first semester, which began in September. “Our students have
families and lives and jobs, and they juggle all of this, and they are still
making great progress,” she said. “They are still able to succeed, and it’s
very rewarding.”
The classes are free
through a $50,000 Library Services and Technology Act Grant, and it’s not too
late for students to participate. READ MORE @
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Literacy Center of Milford expands, changes name to reflect
broader scope
Milford Mirror: 1.26.2016
The Literacy Center of
Milford, Inc. has undergone a name change to Literacy Volunteers of
Southern Connecticut, Inc.
The Literacy Center of
Milford has been tutoring adults in the Greater Milford area, including 10
surrounding cities, for 20 years.
“We service many more
communities than just Milford,” said Executive Director Tami Jackson. “It became important for us to change our
name to properly serve the immigrant population and meet the needs as it
continues to grow.”
Literacy Volunteers of
Southern Connecticut will continue to serve more than 100 adults each year with
literacy support, Jackson said. The organization’s mission is to provide
services at no cost to any individual who wishes to learn the English language
or enhance their reading, writing, speaking and math skills necessary to lead
productive lives in the community.
“Literacy Volunteers of
Southern Connecticut envisions a community of harmony and abundance where all
people and their children attain their educational and life goals, and become
functioning and contributing members of our communities and society,” Jackson
said. READ MORE @
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