Literacy In The News :: Spanning the US
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OC Breeeze: 9.19.2020
With
school looking different this year, OC Public Libraries’ literacy program, OC READ
/ Families for Literacy (OC READ), will be launching a series of
Back-to-School events to support distance learning.
“The
County understands the need for literacy and family engagement are important in
building a foundation for learning,” said Chairwoman Michelle Steel, Second
District Supervisor. “The goal of the Back-to-School events is to help support
the community and encourage a culture of reading and learning for the entire
family.”
OC
READ offers literacy assistance to adults and their families, and the
Back-to-School events are aimed to promote literacy and help create “home libraries”
to support student learning.
“Distance
learning has been challenging for many parents and students,” said Vice Chairman
Andrew Do, First District Supervisor. “Now more than ever, it is important that
we provide essential support services to our communities through our local
county libraries.”
“These
Back-to-School events are part of the creative community outreach efforts OC
Public Libraries is initiating to ensure they stay connected with their users,”
said Supervisor Donald Wagner, Third District.
The Back-to-School events will include free books and crafts provided by OC Public Libraries staff to families while they remain safely in their vehicles. READ MORE ➤➤
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Monterey Herald: 9.21.2020 by Mary Jeanne Vincent
Imagine
trying to find your way around town without being able to read street signs,
buying over-the-counter medications without being able to read the directions,
or looking for a job without being able to complete an application. This is the
world of the illiterate.
Did
you know that 30 million adults in the United States cannot read, write or do
basic math above a third-grade level? Here in Monterey County, the number of
adults lacking basic literacy skills hovers at about 28%. That is a lot of
people. Lest you think it is only the immigrant population who are illiterate,
29% of adults living in Appalachia are functionally illiterate.
Why
does literacy matter? Because low literacy costs everyone! It costs the U.S.
$225 billion annually in workforce non-productivity, loss of tax revenue and
crime. In addition, there is another $232 billion in health care costs linked
to low adult literacy skills. The cost of illiteracy impacts every major social
issue. States that raise literacy rates experience a significant decline in
incarceration rates. Not surprising when you realize the 75% of state prison
inmates have not completed high school or are considered low literate.
It
is not that the illiterate are not smart, they have to be smart to navigate a
world where everyone else reads and writes. They simply need access to literacy
resources. Nationwide, literacy programs suffer from long student waitlists.
Learners tell us they want to read and write to prepare for a better job,
obtain a GED, read to their child, obtain employment certification or become a
U.S. citizen.
Two years ago, I embarked upon one of the most meaningful journeys of my life. I became an adult literacy tutor through the Monterey Country Free Libraries Literacy program. Before being matched with me, my learner spent three years on the county literacy program waitlist. READ MORE ➤➤
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WQOW: 9.21.2020 by Katrina Lim
September
20 to September 26 is Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, and local
organizations are working together to make sure more people know how to read
and write.
Officials
from Literacy Chippewa Valley said
about 14,000 people struggle with low literacy in Eau Claire, Chippewa and Dunn
counties.
That's
one in seven people.
Executive
Director Elizabeth Hart said that could mean they're learning English, have
cognitive problems or need to complete their high school education.
One
of the ways LCV tries to improve the literacy rate in our area is by partnering
with CVTC to facilitate the ELL program, or English
Language Learner classes.
"It's
never too late. Literacy changes everything," Hart said. "So, we aim
to help people from their starting point. We have a community that can welcome
people and make them able to function in our community at a high level."
During a non-COVID year, Literacy Chippewa Valley serves about 500 students a year; including Nancy Lor. WATCH 01:34
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