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Literacy In The News :: Spanning the US

@londonlibrary

Volunteers Needed For Library's Reading & Conversation Programs

CBC: 8.21.2020 by Aly Lancione

The London Public Library is looking for about 160 volunteers to help with a pair of online learning programs.

The Reading Enjoyment and Development (READ) program and the one-one-one English Conversation Program went virtual after the pandemic hit in March, and now the library needs mentors to help run them again this fall.

Linda Imrie, a retired teacher, is a volunteer for both programs.

She continued to work with a child that struggles with reading and an adult newcomer during the online transition -- communicating with them over the phone, through emails and by video chat.

Kristen Loblaw, the administrator of volunteer services at the London Public Library, says they have received great feedback from parents whose children participated in the READ program this past spring. She says many of them are eager to participate again this year. (Submitted: the London Public Library )

"I'm a strong supporter of literacy and I believe if you offer that key to freedom, they can take it the rest of the way. The programs offer so much opportunity for people," she said.

The READ program has been around for 45 years and runs throughout the school year, helping children in grades one through seven practice their literacy skills with games, activities and crafts.

In the English Conversation Program, mentors help their adult mentees achieve personal goals, like practicing for interviews or learning about Canadian or London culture.  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)

@CommonHeart

Common Heart Helps Families Escape Poverty

Union Co Weekly: 8.22.2020 by Carolina

Sarah Kimbrough signed up to take Common Heart’s Getting Ahead classes for the $425 in gift cards. But the Common Heart focus group quickly became much more to Sarah and her family as they started their journey out of poverty.

“During the very first class, I thought, ‘I fit in here. They understand.’ It’s not that I choose to be poor,” Sarah said. “It wasn’t just the contents of the workbook that helped me. It was what we were getting from each other. Helping others overcome their obstacles helps you overcome your own.”

At the start of Getting Ahead last year, Sarah – a former paramedic and mother of four – had to hotwire her car on and off each time she needed to travel. Their cupboards always seemed to be running low and the bills were piling up. Her husband was working but she couldn’t find any jobs that would allow her to care for their children – three of whom have special needs.

Now, more than a year later, Sarah has a part-time job that works with her schedule to care for the children, thanks to networking and resource sharing at Getting Ahead.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 7

Reading Level: fairly easy to read.

Reader's Age: 11-13 yrs. old

(Sixth and Seventh graders)

Kalamazoo Literacy

Kalamazoo Literacy Council Helps Parents Navigate Digital Childhood & Screen Time Decisions

Second Wave: 8.24.2020 by Mark Wedell

It's a saying they have around the Kalamazoo Literacy Council: Parents are a child's first teachers.

"It's the big motto here," says Taylor Sayers, KLC's parent literacy navigator.

This year, the KLC launched an effort to help parents and guardians to develop literacy and other skills needed to teach and bond with their children. The six-week sessions were "structured around childcare," with parents in one room learning and their children in another room doing the same. Then there would be together time, "they come together to practice something together, usually led by the parents," Sayers says.

"We focus on teaching parents things that benefit them and benefit the child at the same time," Sayers says.

It was to launch last spring, and like all face-to-face education around the globe, it ran face-first into a global pandemic.

The parent-child literacy sessions had to go online, which exposed a tangle of complications. In many of the households the KLC serves, digital devices and internet service haven't been affordable. Not all parents are familiar with the digital world. Then, because of COVID-19, children had to turn to online learning from the public schools.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 10

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. old

(Ninth to Tenth graders)

@mcael

Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy (MCAEL)

mymcmedia: 8.24.2020

Kim Jones hosts Studio 501c3, a show that focuses on the nonprofit organizations in Montgomery County working to build supportive communities every day.

This episode features Kathy Stevens, executive director of Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy or MCAEL, a coalition of organizations to provide county residents with English language skills education.  LISTEN 15:00