Literacy – Spanning the US :: Kennett PA :: Pueblo Co CO :: Lake Co CA

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.

Kennett Library Literacy

Chesco mayors urge lawmakers to protect ‘Dreamers’   

Southern Chester County Weeklies: 10.07.2017 by Fran Maye

Lucero Cortes, who arrived in the United States from Mexico in 2015, just earned her General Equivalency Diploma after enrolling in adult literacy classes at the Kennett Library.

She began studying English in April, and passed four exams – Language Arts, Social Studies, Science and Math. And she just enrolled in four classes at Delaware County Community College, and envisions a bright career, after being told that people who work hard in America can achieve greatness.

But her plans could be derailed by the Trump Administration’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival Program (DACA). She is one of nearly 6,000 DACA recipients in Pennsylvania – and one of 600,000 in America -whose future and opportunity to fully contribute to their communities is threatened by Trump’s decision to end the program.

When Trump announced the end of the program, he put in place a six-month delay on expiring protections by allowing any recipient whose DACA expires by March 5 until Thursday to apply for a two-year renewal. According to data provided by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, about one in five people eligible to renew hadn’t done so yet. Many of those who did not renew cited fears that the government would use the updated details to identify them for law-enforcement purposes.  READ MORE >>

Program offers opportunity for accredited high school diploma

Pueblo Chieftain: 10.07.2017 by Jon Pompia

A new program available through the Pueblo City-County Library District offers adults 19 and older without a high school diploma the opportunity to earn one.

With financial assistance from the Colorado State Library, the district has launched the Career Online High School -- an 18-month program in which all classes are taken online -- at the Robert Hoag Rawlings Public Library.

"Career Online High School is not a GED program, it's a full-fledged, state-accredited high school diploma program," said Jackie Swanson, the library district's adult literacy coordinator.

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"The goal of PCCLD'S Adult Literacy Program and Colorado online high school is to give adults what they deserve -- an education that can lead to great success," Swanson said. ="To change the cycle of dropping out, our youth must have educated parents. And it's never too late. That's why this program is a gift to the community."

In addition to a diploma, students also can earn a career certificate in a high-growth, high-demand general career field by completing coursework.

Swanson said the adult literacy program is always in need of volunteers.  READ MORE >>

Lake County Literacy Coalition helps change lives; group to hold Vineyard Run for Literacy Oct. 14

Lake County News: 10.06.2017

The Lake County Literacy Coalition’s major fundraiser, the Vineyard Run for Literacy, is right around the corner, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 14.

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Since 1986, the coalition has raised money to support the Adult Literacy programs run by the Lake County Library.

The program recruits and trains volunteers from the community to work one-on-one with individuals who need help to improve basic reading, writing and comprehension skills.

“Over the years, the Literacy program has trained well over 1200 tutors who in turn helped more than 2100 learners,” literacy coordinator Ginny DeVries said.

This tutoring is free to all Lake County residents, age 18 and older.

Many college students take advantage of this free tutoring service, especially first-year students.

They learn how to succeed in taking tests and improve note-taking ability.

One client willing to share his story was Jason Martinez. He passionately wanted to be a chef, but his reading and writing skills had been a problem when it came to passing the exams at the Culinary Arts class at Yuba College in Clearlake, now part of the Woodland College system.

He and his tutor met regularly for 17 weeks, and with that help, Martinez received an “A” in his Culinary Arts class and soon became a full-time cook at Running Creek Casino.  READ MORE >>