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Literacy: Spanning the US

Ada Library

Ada Public Library Nets Health-Related Programs Grant

Ada News: 10.22.2019 by Eric Swanson

With the help of a state grant, the Ada Public Library is offering tai chi classes to the public this fall.

The library recently received a $4,000 Health Literacy grant from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. The grant, which was funded by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, will pay for the tai chi program and a series of educational sessions on various health-related topics.

APL has already rolled out the tai chi classes, which take place at 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays at the library, Director Jolene Poore said Monday. The classes are free and open to the public.

“As an outreach, we will be able to also offer that starting next year at the senior center,” Poore said, referring to the new Irving Center. “We’ll be able to actually offer classes at two different locations, two classes a week. It’s been a very popular thing.”

Poore said the library is currently developing a series of classes on topics including diabetes and heart disease, which are designed to give people the tools they need to make informed decisions about their health care.

This is the second year that the library has received a $4,000 Health Literacy grant from ODLS. Last year’s grant paid for several projects, including special notepads that patients can take to any health care provider’s office.  READ MORE >>

@saclib

1,000 People Expected At Sacramento Literacy Walk

KCRA: 10.25.2019

About 1,000 people are expected to take to Sacramento streets on Saturday for the Walk 4 Literacy event.

The sixth annual event highlights a hard truth: More than half of Sacramento County children cannot read at grade level.

The Sacramento Public Library Foundation is hosting the walk. The nonprofit provides a community literacy map for families, breaks down the reading level at schools across the county and provides resources for students.

"One out of three brains can read super easy -- really easy, no help needed. They just pick up the phonics -- that's one out of three brains,” Sacramento Public Library Foundation spokesperson April Javist said.  WATCH 01:10

@Litsomerset

Celebrate National Family Literacy Day on November 1

Woman Around Town: 10.26.2019 by Marina P. Kennedy

For the past 23 years, schools, libraries and organizations have celebrated “National Family Literacy Day.” Political and educational leaders, including the National Center for Families Learning’s President and Founder Sharon Darling recognized that parents’ educational attainment and their children’s educational outcomes were related. To draw attention to this work, the NCFL worked with Congress in 1994 to designate November 1 each year as National Family Literacy Day. 

For the past five years, I have been volunteering with Literacy Volunteers of Somerset County (LVSC) in New Jersey. It is an organization that serves the adult community with free programs that include one-to-one and small group tutoring, English Conversation Groups, and United States Citizenship preparation courses. LVSC serves more than 450 adults each year with their 235 active tutors.

My journey as volunteer tutor started over 20 years ago when I received training by a literacy organization and experienced how the education of a parent affects a child. The first student I was matched with was a young mother who was living in a shelter with her four year-old daughter who accompanied her to lessons.  READ MORE >>

Easy English 

Times

In a Hyperpartisan Era, A Napa Newspaper Brings Unbiased News To Readers Learning English

Napa Valley Register: 10.27.2019 by Courtney Teague

Don’t let the name fool you. It’s no cake walk putting out the Easy English Times.

Four thousand copies of the Napa Valley-based adult literacy and English-as-a-Second-Language newspaper are printed at a Healdsburg press and sent to readers across 20 states, 10 times per year, said publisher and co-founder Betty Malmgren.

The eight-page paper, written in straight-forward English, features personal essays and other content from readers, plus articles related to current national events, citizenship matters, sports, health, holidays and American traditions that are mostly written by Malmgren and Editor Lorraine Ruston.

@Napa_Library

“It kind of reinforces the pleasure in reading and also feeling like part of your community,” said Robin Rafael, who oversees literacy services for the Napa County Library. “It also gives you hope that you can read and you can participate in civil life.”

The publication is a hit with the library’s literacy students because the reading isn’t as dry or heavy as a textbook. Readers can keep up with current events in a format that they understand. The opportunity for student-submitted essays is a good motivator for students to practice writing, she said.  READ MORE >>