Literacy – Spanning the US :: Williamsburg VA :: Redlands CA :: Florida :: Farmville VA

Literacy: Spanning the US

@WRLibrary

Williamsburg Regional Library Recognized For Program For Spanish-Speaking Community

VA Gazette: 5.24.2019 by Rodrigo Arriaza

Teaching early literacy skills and serving the area’s Spanish-speaking community are the two tenets at the core of “Cena Con Cuentos,” a new program series from Williamsburg Regional Library that was recently recognized by the Virginia Public Library Director's Association.

The series serves preschool-age Spanish-speaking children and their families, and was started by youth services librarian Sara Meldrum, who said she wanted to establish a stronger connection between the library and Williamsburg’s Spanish-speaking population.

═════════►

“Cena Con Cuentos,” or “dinner with stories,” began last January as a weekly series of programs where young children and their families were invited to enjoy meals, get to know each other and to learn about the library and practice language skills in English and Spanish.  READ MORE >>

@AKSmileyPL

‘Seedfolks’ Named 2019 Community Read by Redlands Adult Literacy Program

Redlands Daily Facts: 5.03.2019 by Diane Shimota , Adult Literacy Coord-A.K. Smiley Library

Springtime in Redlands is a time of abundant color and planting of spring gardens. Adult learners who have improved their reading and writing skills in the Redlands Adult Literacy Program also grow, forming new relationships in their families and community.

Recognizing this connection, the Redlands Adult Literacy Program selected “Seedfolks” by Paul Fleischman as the 2019 Community Read. Adult learners, their tutors and community members are encouraged to read “Seedfolks,” which highlights the impact on individuals and a neighborhood when the diverse backgrounds and strengths of local residents meet in a community garden.  READ MORE >>

@FloridaLiteracy

Florida Blue Foundation Sponsors

Statewide Health Literacy Grants Program

Florida Literacy: 5.20.2019

Fourteen programs across the state of Florida have been awarded one-year, $5,000 grants for the implementation of a health literacy program to benefit their adult education, ESOL, and family literacy students.

Congratulations to the following organizations:

 Adult Literacy League, Orlando

 Atlantic Technical College, Arthur Ashe Jr. Campus

 Broward Community Schools

 Collier County Adult Education

 El Sol Jupiter’s Neighborhood Resource Center

 Families of the Treasure Coast

 Hands Together for Haitians

 Language Learning Center at Maitland Presbyterian Church

 Learn to Read of St. Johns County

 Literacy Council of Sarasota

 Miami Dade College, Hialeah Campus

 Sarasota Family YMCA

 School District of DeSoto County

 United Food Bank of Plant City

These mini-grants, awarded by the Florida Blue Foundation and the Florida Literacy Coalition, integrate health and nutrition information into the programs’ curriculum. The focus is to help students acquire the knowledge; literacy skills; and resources required to navigate the health care system and make informed health decisions. More than 18,000 students from programs throughout Florida have benefited from this Initiative since 2009.

There is a growing recognition among health care providers and adult educators around the country that limited English language and literacy skills can have a significant impact on one’s health. According to the National Adult Assessment of Literacy, 14 percent of Americans cannot comprehend basic health information. The study indicates that health illiteracy is especially prevalent among: 1) adults who did not complete high school, with 49 percent having below basic health literacy, and 2) foreign-born adults who speak English as their second language.

People who lack literacy and health literacy skills are much more likely to use medications incorrectly, have at least one chronic disease, spend more time in the hospital, and are four times more likely to have poor health than people with higher health literacy skills.  READ MORE >>

@STEPSincVA

Literacy Efforts Teaches Future Tutors

Farmville Herald: 5.28.2019

Training for seven future adult literacy tutors was held Wednesday, May 8, in the STEPS Inc. administration building.

Mora da Silva, adult education transitions specialist at Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC), instructed the participants in the complexities and intimacies of tutoring. She was assisted by Joyce Nelson, director of the Charlotte County Adult Learning Center, and Lonnie Calhoun, who has been the lead advocate for reviving adult tutoring efforts in Prince Edward County.

STEPS Inc. and the Prince Edward County Literacy Council are looking to re-establish or strengthen local Adult Basic Education, English as a Second Language, and Family Literacy efforts. A litany of community organizations and groups has gotten behind the endeavor.

Introducing and walking the group through concepts such as different learning methods based on fictional students, da Silva stressed the components of reading instruction, such as word analysis, vocabulary development and fluency practice. Participants practiced writing what were intended to be effective and fun lesson plans.

“The alphabet is a code and we are trying to teach students how to decode the written word,” she told the group.

═════════►

A pilot tutoring effort will begin in June and the primary effort will commence in late August or September. Organizers have said the pilot will focus on one-on-one and small-group instruction.  READ MORE >>