Literacy – Spanning the US :: Carson City NV :: Santa Fe NM :: San Mateo Co CA

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.     

Building literacy is a community effort

Nevada Appeal: 12.23.2017 by Janet Whitemore, Program Director-Carson City Literacy Volunteers

Carson City has two programs offering free reading tutoring to children and adults. The adult program has been in Carson City since 1986 focusing mainly on teaching non-English speakers who want to learn to speak English, but also teaching English speaking adults who want to improve their reading. In 2007, a new program called Literacy Volunteers for Children was founded to help kindergarten through high school children improve their reading skills. Other than a $25 registration (which can be waived) the services are totally free. Most students stay with the program for approximately three years. If you were to hire a tutor, the fee is usually a minimum of $25 per hour.

All students are given an initial screening to make sure the program is suited for them. They're then matched with a tutor and start meeting twice a week for one-hour sessions. The tutoring continues through the summer so progress can continue year-round. Students start showing progress after just a few sessions.

The highly successful Barton Reading and Spelling System is used for both children and adults. It's an Orton-Gillingham based program. Tutors go through a training program and watch DVDs showing Susan Barton teach all the lessons. The program is totally scripted so tutors don't need to have any prior teaching experience. The scripted lessons tell the tutor everything they need to be successful.

Reading is an essential skill everyone needs to become successful in life. Many students learn differently and don't progress as quickly as others in the school setting. One-on-one tutoring is the best way to meet an individual's unique way of learning. Tutoring sessions are designed specifically to match the child's learning pace.  READ MORE >>

Literacy Volunteers

Santa Fe

Stopping illiteracy strengthens community

Santa Fe New Mexican: 12.24.2017 by Kimberly Wiley, President Elect-Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe Board of Directors

Surely, many were touched by Robert Nott’s article (“ ‘I thought it was too late,’ ” Nov. 20), detailing the crippling effects of illiteracy and the incredible empowerment that learning to read can bring.

While the article addressed this issue primarily from a statewide perspective, residents in Santa Fe County should not be complacent, believing because we are a relatively prosperous county that this is not also a pressing issue for us. 

The 2010 census indicated that 34 percent of adults in Santa Fe County are functionally illiterate, and 32 percent speak only limited English. This means more than 50,000 people find their lives affected by difficulties with reading, writing and speaking English, and the repercussions are felt throughout the area.

I hope that the 2020 census will show some improvement in those numbers, and the good news is that you can help make that so.

Since 1985, Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe has served the Santa Fe community, providing literacy instruction for adults and their families. Since then, the group has provided almost a half-million hours of instruction to help more than 13,000 adult students. We offer programs that provide free, quality tutoring in basic literacy and English as a second language, financial literacy, health literacy, citizenship and numeracy skills. We hold small group and one-to-one free tutoring sessions all over the county: at work sites, in churches, schools, public libraries, community centers, coffee houses — wherever it is convenient for the student and tutor to meet.  READ MORE >>

Project Read

Menlo Park

Combating illiteracy in our community

Almanac News: 12.26.2017 by Susan Holmer, Menlo Park Library Director

Did you know that roughly 23 percent of adult Californians do not have the basic literacy skills needed to read a bedtime story to a child? That translates to more than 4.5 million Californians.

In San Mateo County, 15 percent of adults have difficulty completing job applications, reading street signs, or understanding the instructions on a medicine bottle.

Since 1985, Project Read-Menlo Park has been helping adults improve their English reading, writing and speaking skills, making them more effective at home, at work, and in the community.

Health. Poverty. Unemployment. Every important social issue is impacted by low-level literacy.

When individuals learn how to read, write, do basic math, and use computers, they have the power to lift themselves out of poverty, improve their health, find and keep sustainable employment, and ultimately change their lives.

Project Read-Menlo Park is working to change the state of literacy in our community in several ways.  READ MORE >>