Literacy – Spanning the US :: Clarksburg WV :: Appleton WI :: Grand Rapids MI :: Salisbury NC

Literacy: Spanning the US

Literacy Volunteers 

Harrison County

Harrison County Literacy Program Reaches Out Through YouTube Videos

WDTV: 3.16.2020 by Casey Hoolahan

The Literacy Volunteers of Harrison County have created their own YouTube channel to make their services more accessible.

The group helps people learning English as a second language and adults looking to pass their GEDs.

In addition they help tutor students of all ages in reading and math.

The lessons in their YouTube videos range from children's stories to learning sign language.  WATCH 00:55

@FoxValleyLit

FOX 11 Community Cares: Fox Valley Literacy

FOX 11: 3.18.2020

Helping an adult learn to read can transform his or her life in meaningful ways. It is estimated that more than 12,000 people in the Fox Valley have low literacy skills. Some need help learning English for the first time, while others need to improve their skills in order to finish their GED.

Since 1990, Fox Valley Literacy has brought volunteer tutors and adult learners together.  WATCH: 01:06

@LCWM

Literacy Center of West Michigan Conference Focused on Kids Under 5

Rapid Growth Media: 3.19.2020 by Estelle Slootmaker

According to Dr. Wendy Falb, executive director of The Literacy Center of West Michigan, Michigan’s children have a serious literacy crisis. They rank in the bottom third of states in the nation when it comes to literacy skills. The State’s African American boys rank last. And, those numbers accurately reflect literacy rates in Kent County.

While its programming remains focused on boosting adult literacy, The Literacy Center has decided that building literacy skills among preschool children is important, too. The goal is to make sure West Michigan’s children have the skills they need to learn how to read and write when they get to school. To help launch that focus, its 2020 Community Literacy Conference adopted the theme, “Ready to read, ready to succeed: Developing literacy birth to five” on February 28 in Grand Rapids.

“Recent knowledge about the brain and cognitive development has clarified some of what is the causation of good foundations for a child to decode language,” Falb says. “With the [Kent County] millage passing for early childhood, this a really opportune time to focus on what happens between birth and kindergarten that sets the foundation for children to be ready to read by kindergarten.”  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 11

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 15-17 yrs. Old

(Tenth to Eleventh graders)

Rowan County 

Literacy Council

Help Others at Rowan County Literacy Council

Salisbury Post: 3.15.2020 by Donald P. Doering

In the Sunday, March 8, edition of the Salisbury Post there was an opinion piece which reported on an event hosted by the Rowan County Literacy Council (“Broaden horizons by volunteering with Literacy Council”).

The event featured David Knutson, the Community Relations Officer for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. This presentation not only referred to the process of becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen but also touched on the increasing need for volunteers the Literacy Council has in its mission of providing study assistance to immigrants wishing to become citizens.

The Literacy Council provides an ever-expanding scope of services to the Rowan County community — to include adult basic education, English as a second language, U.S. citizenship exam prep, GED prep, as well as youth literacy in partnership with Rowan-Salisbury Schools and Communities in Schools of Rowan County. With only a staff of two, the organization relies heavily on volunteers and community support.

Per the Rowan County Needs Assessment, there are approximately 13,000 persons living in or near Salisbury who speak little to no English. This significantly impacts their ability to find a good job, start a business, get appropriate health care, go grocery shopping or simply navigate everyday life in Rowan County. Immigrants who become naturalized citizens dramatically outpace noncitizen immigrants, earning 50%-70% more than noncitizens. Naturalized immigrants are half as likely to live below the poverty line.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 12

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 17-18 yrs. Old

(Twelfth graders)