Literacy: Spanning the U.S.
Literacy Volunteers of Salem/Cumberland to be honored
NJ.com: 4.06.2017
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| @literacynj |
Literacy NJ -- which provides free adult
literacy programs and U.S. citizenship classes in eight New Jersey counties
-- will present the award at its annual Literacy for Life Conference
at Mercer County College in West Windsor. The event brings together 200
students, tutors, adult educators and board members from across the state for a
day of professional development.
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LV-Salem/Cumberland
will receive the 2017 Alice M. Leppert Award for Outstanding Affiliate
Achievement in recognition of its new financial literacy program.
LV-Salem/Cumberland added the class to its array of literacy offerings after
seeing a growing need to educate clients about budgeting, banking and credit.
The course is tailored to those at or below 125 percent of the poverty level.
Studies show 8 out of 10 =Americans are in debt, and 75 percent of Americans
are living paycheck to paycheck. The people who are the least educated about
financial literacy are often the poorest, which can perpetuate poverty.
More than 100 students have taken the four-week
program, which covers budgeting, understanding interest, paying down debt, check-writing,
and improving credit scores.
At the beginning of the first session, students are
asked if they have enough money. Most laugh at the suggestion, but the
follow-up question, "How much is enough money?" reveals that most
have no idea what amount of money would provide them with financial security.
Through activities like budgeting games, spending trackers, and debt-reduction
techniques, students learn about their own spending habits and debt, and
learn strategies for making better decisions
=LV-Salem/Cumberland has expanded the program to
include financial literacy lessons in their ESL classes and one-to-one tutoring
program. Just like with poor literacy skills, poor financial literacy education
can affect a family for generations. READ MORE @
A storybook ending
Lancaster Online: 4.08.2017
by LNP Editorial Board
After five years of weekly tutoring sessions by retired
educator Caroline Wolverton, Adamstown Area
Library volunteer Ray Boynton, 68, achieved his longtime
dream of learning to read. Now the woodworker who builds and fixes shelves for
the library can enjoy the books housed on those shelves.
The numbers are daunting.
According to the national organization ProLiteracy,
which promotes adult literacy through content development, programs and
advocacy, more than 30 million adults in the United States cannot read, write
or do basic math above a third-grade level.
And the impact of that is felt in so many ways,
including economically. ProLiteracy estimates that just a 1 percent rise in average
literacy rates yields a 1.5 percent permanent increase in gross domestic
product, or an additional $2.31 billion.
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Closer to home, the Literacy Council of
Lancaster-Lebanon reports that, according to the National
Center for Education Statistics, more than 15 percent of people 16 years and
older in Lancaster and Lebanon counties lack the basic literacy skills to be
safe and productive in their lives.
But while the challenge may seem overwhelming, the
success story of Ray Boynton, with the indispensable aid of his tutor, Caroline
Wolverton, shows that real, tangible progress is being made — one individual at
a time. READ MORE @
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Adult Learner: Jeffrey George
OTAN: 4.07.2017
Jeffrey George came into the Sonoma County Library’s Adult Literacy Program
in August 2014 to sign up for weekly tutoring and to work on literacy and life
goals. He was assessed at a beginning to beginning intermediate literacy level
at that time, and his primary motivation was to be able to help his three young
children with their reading, writing, and school work. At that time, Jeffrey
was a full-time stay at home dad who knew he wanted to be of more help to his
wife and children. His recorded goals were: learn the alphabet, reading,
writing, and spelling in order to help his children and interact with their
teachers at school. However, Jeffrey also set a goal to obtain a driver’s
license and a business license on that same assessment date.
Jeffrey was matched with volunteer tutor Laura Owens
who shares the following about their work together, “Jeffrey was a pleasure to
coach; he was motivated, always receptive, grateful, and in very good spirits,
even though he was working several jobs as well as being tutored, and being a
dad and husband.” Together, Laura and Jeffrey met for a minimum of two hours a
week at their local library branch around their working schedules to pursue
Jeffrey’s education goals.
By May 2015, Jeffrey had met and exceeded all of his
original goals. He was able to read to his three children and help them with
their school needs. He had passed his driver’s tests and obtained his Driver’s
License. He was also applying for full-time work for the city in which he
resided and was ready to leave our program.
READ MORE @
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