Literacy – Spanning North America :: Hale Co TX :: Redlands CA :: St Albert AB

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Hale Co Literacy

Hale County Literacy Council Launches New Programming

Plainview Daily Herald: 3.01.2019 by Richard Porter, Hale County Literacy Council

March is shaping up as a big month for the Hale County Literacy Council. The new programming HCLC has spent the past several months developing is complete and ready to launch. Launch dates for specific programs will be spread throughout the coming month.

According to HCLC Executive Director Richard Porter, there is no better time than the present to introduce the new programs to Plainview area residents, while at the same time, remind the community of the traditional programs the organization offers.

"As an organization we are faced with two ongoing challenges," Porter said. "First we need to not only maintain but expand our traditional offerings. Second, we need to assess the needs of the community and develop relevant new programs that fill gaps and provide more opportunities for residents and the business community. That is exactly what we have done."

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Traditionally, one of the primary adult programs HCLC has offered is English As A Second Language training. Beginning March 4, HCLC will make computers available at their office, 2506 N. Yonkers at the north end of the PISD Administration Complex, with the language program Rosetta Stone installed.

Porter explained that this will allow the organization to begin to bring in individuals who as they improve their English-speaking skills will be able to advance to the new adult programs the organization has developed — Job Readiness Training, Basic Computer Literacy and Business Computer Literacy (which involves Microsoft Office training).

From a children's perspective, Porter said HCLC has partnered with RADAR Foundations, Inc. to provide a Sensory Friendly Reading Night. This monthly event will focus on families with special needs, specifically children with Down Syndrome and Autism.  READ MORE >>

AK Smiley Library

Stronger Reading Supports a Strong Community

Redlands Daily Facts: 3.02.2019 by Diane Shimota, Adult Literacy Coord-A.K. Smiley Library

Reading books connects us to the broader world, and understanding what we read is key to participating and enjoying the gifts of our community. Most adults who come to the Redlands Adult Literacy Program want to improve their reading skills so that they can read and understand newspaper articles, books, employment descriptions, or medical information.

Adult learners need comprehension strategies that are engaging and relevant to help overcome anxieties about reading. Adult literacy tutors benefit from additional training in how to model, teach and guide adult learners of varying abilities and backgrounds through the steps of the reading process.

To help tutors and learners, the Redlands Adult Literacy Program invited adult literacy expert Jerry Edwards to teach a reading comprehension workshop on Saturday, Feb 23. Edwards said, “Being able to read words isn’t enough. One must understand what they mean and how they connect to our own experiences.”.  READ MORE >>

@PMLTC14

Poundmaker’s And Further Education Team Up

Deal to give free literacy support to clients

St Albert Today: 3.02.2019 by Kevin Ma

St. Albert educators have teamed up with Poundmaker’s Lodge to help teach recovering addicts the joy of reading.

Dignitaries from Poundmaker’s Lodge Treatment Centres and St. Albert Further Education signed a one-year agreement this week to offer free tutoring and workshops to Poundmaker’s clients on literacy, numeracy, financial, computer, language and job-search skills.

@SAFurtherEd

Cheryl Dumont, executive director for St. Albert Further Education, said the idea for this deal came out of her group’s desire to carry out the recommendations of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, many of which address education. The board noticed many people who suffer from addictions fall into them as early as age nine, which puts them at a developmental disadvantage.

“All interest is lost in school and learning. They very often drop out of school, and therefore they don’t have the literacy skills they need to be successful and competitive in today’s environment,” Dumont said.

Since Further Education has a provincial mandate to promote literacy, the board asked Poundmaker’s if they’d be interested in a partnership, Dumont said. They were thrilled by the idea, so they inked a deal.

The deal states that some 48 per cent of adult Canadians have less than a high-school level of literacy, that low literacy makes you less likely to be healthy or politically engaged and that higher literacy raises your odds of being employed.  READ MORE >>