Literacy – Spanning the US :: Bartlesville OK :: West Nyack NY :: St Lawrence Co NY :: San Bernardino Co CA

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.     

@bvillelibrary

Literacy Courses Offered at Bartlesville Public Library

Bartlesville Radio: 1.10.2019 by Garrett Giles

The Oklahoma Literacy Coalition and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries work hand in hand to offer literacy services to Oklahoma communities. Joni Elmore with the Literacy Coalition says the Bartlesville Public Library houses the Oklahoma Literacy Coalition under the Oklahoma Department of Libraries.

@oklitcoalition

She also says the BPL offers four tiers of literacy services to the local community, which includes remedial reading. They teach remedial reading to adults who may have suffered unfortunate situations like generational poverty in their childhood household. That may have caused them to drop out of school. Elmore adds that adults that participate in remedial reading courses may have had to work on a generational family farm as well which may have required most of their time to the farm than school. Those were a few reasons Elmore listed.

Elmore says remedial statistics are pretty high considering 46-percent of adults in the United States read poorly. The number in Oklahoma is around 43-percent. As Elmore kept listing the statistics, she said 32-percent of Oklahoma’s adults read at a basic level while 12-percent of Oklahoma’s adults read below a basic level. Elmore says that means remedial courses in a supportive environment is important.  LISTEN 00:18

@rocklandboces

An Adult Literacy Class In The Trump Era: 'This Is A Safe Space'

Lohud: 1.14.2019 by Kimberly Redmond

One morning in January 2018, Jacqui Lunchick walked into a classroom at Rockland BOCES and found several students in tears.

The day’s headlines revolved about President Trump’s description of of Haiti, El Salvador and some parts of Africa as "s---hole countries" during a White House meeting on U.S. immigration policies. Trump suggested limiting the number of people coming to the U.S. from those places.

The distraught students were part of an adult literacy program. Many were immigrants. Some undocumented.

“They were crying – but they were here," said Lunchick, Rockland BOCES' literacy coordinator. "Because they know they need the service and they know we will welcome them here no matter what.”

Rockland BOCES has been offering an adult literacy program for over 60 years, serving generations of immigrants. All 37 regional BOCES across New York state have adult literacy programs, among the many such programs long offered by community colleges, libraries and other institutions.  WATCH 01:33

Massena Library

New Adult Literacy Zones Opening In Ogdensburg, Massena To Provide Job Training Classes

MP Courier: 1.11.2019 by Susan Mende

Helping St. Lawrence County residents who lack a high school diploma prepare to take their general equivalency exam is just one goal of two new adult literacy zones that soon will open in Ogdensburg and Massena.

Adults enrolled at the literacy zones will be able to take job-related training classes at the same time they’re taking adult basic education classes offered by St. Lawrence-Lewis Board of Cooperative Educational Services.

That will put them on a faster track to enter the workforce, according to BOCES officials. In the past, adults had to first obtain a general equivalency diploma (GED) before they could advance to BOCES’ workforce-related classes.

“The vast majority of people who come to us see more value in something connected to a job than they do in obtaining their high school diploma,” said Jane S. Akins, BOCES’ director of career & technical education and adult education. “By combining it, the target is being hit for both things in one way.”

The Massena literacy zone is housed in rented space in the lower level of the Massena Public Library.  READ MORE >>

Reading To Their Children Helps Incarcerated Parents Maintain a Powerful Connection

Cafwd: 1.11.2019 by Nadine Ono

Two San Bernardino County departments are joining forces to help incarcerated parents better connect with their children through the simple but valuable act of reading books to them.

Last month, volunteers from the San Bernardino County Public Defender’s Office volunteered time and donated items to the Parent and Child Connection (PACC), a program run by the Inmate Services Unit of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

The PACC program gives incarcerated parents the opportunity to record themselves reading books to their children and include personal messages. The goal is to create a connection between the parent and child while reinforcing the importance of reading. Studies show that children who are not read to are at risk for poor language development and are less prepared for classroom learning.

“It’s obviously difficult for parents to be away from their kids and being incarcerated brings its own complications,” said San Bernardino County Deputy Public Defender Yarrow Neubert. “The parents were very happy to be able to connect with their kids thru the PACC program.”  READ MORE >>