Literacy – Spanning North America :: Greenville SC :: Winnipeg MB :: Northville MI

@GLiteracy

Top Ten Things That Make Greenville Literacy Association Unique

Upstate Clutch: 6.23.2017 by Staff

GLA has some amazing things they do to promote literacy in our community. And so here’s a little shout-out to them and what they do, with ranking our top ten favorites about their organization. Keep up the good work, GLA! And mark your calendars for the AMAZING book sale they have coming up. We score great finds every single time.

Greenville Literacy Association has served Greenville County for 52 years and is the largest community-based adult literacy program in South Carolina. GLA touched over 1,400 adult students last fiscal year through its three learning centers, and its mission is to enrich our community by increasing the literacy and employability of our citizens. GLA aims to put these students on a better pathway through their programs for basic literacy, Pre-GED, GED, English as a Second Language (ESL), and career readiness.

Each fall, GLA hosts one of the largest used book sales in the southeast. The 2017 Really Good, Really Big, Really Cheap book sale will be held August 12-13 at McAlister Square with a Preview Party on August 11. This is GLA’s largest fundraiser and features books across multiple categories. Prices generally range between two for $1 to $5. Last year’s Really Good, Really Big, Really Cheap Book Sale raised over $143,000 and a total of 138,045 books were sold.

Greenville Literacy Association creates a welcoming, encouraging environment for its adult students that come to them with limited English or typically with less than an 8th grade education.

With all of the growth and opportunity in Greenville, there are still over 40,000 adults in Greenville County without a high school credential. So far during this fiscal year, 32 students passed their GED through the help of GLA staff and volunteers. GLA recently hosted a successful GED boot camp led by one of its faithful volunteers.  READ MORE @

Edge Skills Centre

Giving adult learners an Edge

St. Vital program builds up language, job skills

Winnipeg Free Press: 6.24.2017 by Kevin Rollason

Three people and three lives, changed for the better:

Jason Hussey was reading at a Grade 3 to 4 level;

Elena Cvetkovska, who is originally from Macedonia, found her lack of Canadian work experience was preventing her from finding a job as an administrative assistant;

Abdoul Toure could speak some English, but needed to learn more.

Today, Hussey is reading books and getting ready to apply for a new job, Cvetkovska is an administrative assistant at Teenstop Jeunesse and Toure can keep up in conversations in English, thanks to the Edge Skills Centre.

The Edge Skills Centre is a not-for-profit, charitable organization in St. Vital that is helping adults with employment, literacy and language skills.

The organization began 28 years ago at Victor Mager School to address the low-income and high-transiency rates faced by the parents of local children. Back then, the name was the Victor Mager Adult Education programs. The organization became Edge in 2012.  READ MORE @

@IMSEOG

Wyoming prisons use unique education program to improve inmate literacy

Star Tribune: 6.25.2017 by Seth Klamann

Over the past year, more than a dozen Wyoming Department of Corrections officials were trained by the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education of Orton-Gillingham, a Michigan-based organization that advocates a phonics-based teaching style. The idea is to break down language and understand the composition of words, rather than memorizing spellings and meanings, said Jean Rishel, the lead trainer for IMSE who trained the corrections officials.

“Sixty to 70 percent of English is based on Latin and Greek,” she explained. “We trained the instructors in how to teach basically suffixes and prefixes and how to start. So they can help their adult population, not just with single words, but with multi-syllabic” words.

For example, she said she has a lesson for the word hydrophobic. It’s a long, technical-sounding word, but it becomes more approachable, especially to less advanced readers, when it’s broken down into its prefix (hydro, or water) and its suffix (phobic, or having fear of). Another example is unpredictable. It’s easy enough to break down: un (not)—pre (before)—dict (say)—able (capable of).

-She says part of the reason for educating the inmates is so they simply have base literacy abilities. But it could also help them integrate into the work force once they’re released.

“We come to these young adults that are in these prison systems, and they may not have finished high school,” she said. “Those that did probably did not get great grades. They come into the job place, don’t have these marketable skills. ... To be competitive today you have to be literate. Really try and help them to gain the literacy skills so they have the chance to go out and get better job.”  READ MORE @

4 Reasons Why You Should Support Your Local Library via WiseBread

4 Reasons Why You Should Support Your Local Library

WiseBread: 6.23.2017 by Chris Birk

With municipalities struggling to stay afloat financially, public libraries are among the first institutions to feel the pinch.

At least 19 states have cut funding to community libraries in the last year according to the American Library Association. More than half reported reductions greater than 10%, and in many places, state-level cuts are compounded by similar cuts at the local level.

Increasingly, it's falling to local library boosters to cobble together funding and devote time and energy to keeping facilities open.

Perhaps the ease and ubiquity of technology has tempered your reliance on these long-cherished institutions. But local libraries continue to provide an array of key services to community members. (See also: Duh...Libraries)

Here are four reasons why you should consider supporting libraries. READ MORE @

Literacy – Spanning North America :: Ontario :: Rochester MN :: Plymouth MA

Adult literacy gets $185 million funding boost from province

The Star: 6.16.2017 by Kristin Rushowy

Some 80,000 more adult learners will be able to hit the books — upgrading their literacy, math and computer skills — with a $185 million boost from the Ontario government.

“This is huge,” said Deputy Premier Deb Matthews, also the province’s minister of advanced education and skills development, in a telephone interview.

“We are doubling the funding over the next four years for adult literacy and basic skills.”

She made the announcement Friday in London, saying afterwards that “I’ve just come from the event, and hearing the stories of people who didn’t get the education that they could have got or should have got, and making the decision to go back and learn to read, and learn numeracy skills.”

The funding is part of the government’s push to improve literacy levels. Premier Kathleen Wynne’s own “Highly Skilled Workforce Expert Panel” urged literacy training as necessary for today’s economy and to help with labour productivity.

“It’s about access,” added Matthews, who said the free help often leads students to further their education.

“It’s just beautiful,” she said of one woman she met who took adult literacy courses, went to college and is now heading to university. “Those are the stories. About 15 per cent of the population does not have the literacy and numeracy skills required to compete in this economy, so we’ve got to focus on (them).”  READ MORE @

@rochesterce 

How a Rochester program is helping nontraditional students overcome obstacles to health-care jobs

Minn Post: 6.06.2017 by Erin Hinrichs

Suzana Deng is heading into her third — and final — year at Hawthorne, where she’s preparing to enroll in a nursing program at Rochester Community and Technical College.

When Suzana Deng, 34, came to Rochester, Minnesota, in the winter of 2003 as a Sudanese refugee, she wound up at an education hub familiar among English Language Learners in town: the Hawthorne Education Center, the Rochester Public Schools’ adult basic education program. =But she didn’t stick with her classes long.

Feeling more immediate financial pressure to help support her family members, Deng found board and employment at a meatpacking plant in Worthington and spent the next two years commuting home on the weekends. Eventually, she decided it was time to give Hawthorne another try. So she enrolled in the center’s literacy program and eventually settled on nursing as her career interest.

Now a mother of three little girls, Deng is heading into her third — and final — year at Hawthorne, where she’s preparing to enroll in a nursing program at Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC). It’s a stepping stone that’ll help her go from working part time at a nursing home to finding employment as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at Mayo Clinic, she hopes.  READ MORE @

Greater Plymouth

Adult Literacy

A high school diploma and a prom at age 65

Randolph Wicked Local: 6.20.2017 by Sue Scheible, The Patriot Ledger

June Giffin was 16 and a sophomore at Quincy High School when she fell in love with Don Parsons, who was 17 and a senior at Dorchester High. They got married soon after he graduated; she dropped out of school and by age 18, they had two small children. Both always intended for her to go back and earn her high school diploma.

Monday evening that dream finally came true. At age 65, June Parsons received her high school equivalency certificate from the Greater Plymouth Adult Literacy program; she also was selected to give the graduation speech at Plimoth Plantation.

“Don’t be afraid to jump out of your comfort zone,” she told her fellow graduates. “Look at me ... the grandmother of the class ... your success is waiting for you to grab it.”

Her daughter Cheryl, the Randolph school nurse, was there, watching with pride, but sadly, Don Parsons was not. A few months after he sold his business and retired, he was diagnosed with cancer and died in May 2015. He was 64.

“We had so much left to do!” June said last week. “It was the hardest thing I ever had to endure.” After a year of letting things settle, she decided to take his advice and enrolled in the Adult Literacy Program at Plymouth public library, in its 28th year.

After just four months of study, she passed all five exams in the high school equivalency test, HiSET, formerly the GED. “I almost resented it being over so fast because I loved studying so much,” she said.  READ MORE @

6 Tips To Get The Most From Your Doctor’s Appointment

Medivisor: 8.03.2015 by Kathleen Hoffman

Most people would say that going to the doctor is stressful. You’re there because you don’t feel your best; you’re poked with needles and prodded with questions. You’re worried about what the doctor will find and what she will tell you. You’re concerned that you’ll forget to tell your doctor something important or not remember what your doctor has told you at the appointment. And you may be anxious that you won’t understand what she says.

You are not alone. Forgetting to tell your doctor something important, or not remembering what your doctor has told you at an appointment, is common.

There are several reasons behind this common problem.

Health literacy is a term used to describe an extremely complicated skill set that’s needed to understand what is being said in the healthcare setting. Conversational competence, that is, the ability to listen effectively, articulate health concerns and explain symptoms accurately are part of health literacy. Health literacy also encompasses decision-making and analytical abilities like evaluation, analysis and interpretation. Even the ability to locate information and assess its quality is part of the skill set. Finally, mathematical calculations and judging risk are part of health literacy.

Anyone can have low health literacy. Even a physician when put into the position of being a patient can experience a lower level of health literacy. As Peter Morrison of the Literacy Coalition of Central Texas notes, “One of the biggest barriers faced by low health literacy patients is the shame of not understanding. This inhibits question asking and promotes head nodding.”

6 Tips To Give You Confidence

1) List Writing

2) Before the Appointment: Do A Little Research

3) At The Appointment: Don’t Fear Asking Questions

A technique to use at the doctor’s office is called “Ask Me 3”. Before you leave the doctor, you want to be able to answer these three questions.

   1. What is my main problem?
   2. What do I need to do?
   3. Why is it important for me to do this?”

4) Teach Back

5) Leave Embarrassment at Home, It’s Not For The Doctors Office

6) Bring A Friend or Family Member Along

READ MORE @

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Baraboo WI :: Volusia Co FL :: Wilmington NC

Baraboo Area

Literacy Council

Tutors help adults learn English

Baraboo News Republic: 6.12.2017 by Ben Bromley

Yinliu Krueger started learning English from cartoons and children’s books. Today, thanks to help from a volunteer tutor, Krueger is a high school graduate.

A native of China, Krueger got help from Baraboo Area Literacy Council tutor Erin Wilson in gaining the mastery of English she needed to earn a general educational development certificate. It took the mother of two and St. Clare Meadows Care Center employee several years to get her GED, but she would happily repeat the experience.

“I wanted to have it,” she said. “I wanted to have a goal for myself.”

Literacy Council tutors work with adults trying to build basic reading skills. Like Krueger, many are learning English as a second language. She worked with Wilson weekly to improve her language skills.

“English is not an easy language, I can tell you,” Krueger said.

She waited a year for an available tutor. Literacy Council board member and Baraboo Public Library Director Meg Allen said the waiting list is down to only a few names now, but more volunteer tutors are needed to meet demand.  READ MORE @

Food Brings Hope

For Pierson immigrants, learning English spells “opportunity”

News Journal:  6.10.2017 by Pat Rice

Ruben Renteria was running a little late one evening earlier this week. He had to finish his plumbing job before he could make it the Family Literacy Program at Mission San Jose Church, where he is a star pupil.

“I want to thank you guys,” Renteria told organizers during an open house to show off the success of the program. “I want to be prepared because I’ve got a big family. I want to be better for them, and for me, too.”

For the past two years, the Family Literacy Program has cracked a language barrier in northwest Volusia County, where many families are immigrants and their first language is Spanish. Since January, an estimated 60 adults and their children have taken part in the program. This summer, 25 adults and their children are enrolled.

The program is part of Food Brings Hope, which has received a $30,000 annual grant from the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy for about half the program’s funding. Food Brings Hope founder and chairwoman Forough Hosseini said her organization roughly matches the Bush foundation grant to provide the rest of the funding for the Family Literacy Program. Daytona State College is also a partner, providing staff to coordinate the effort.

The program’s operation is simple. Three days a week (four when Pierson’s public schools are in session), both parents and children take part in learning sessions after parents have finished working — many of them for area fern farms and other agricultural interests.

“These people work really hard and want the best for their kids,” Hosseini said of the parents. “They really are working hard for the American Dream.”  READ MORE @

@cfliteracy

One-On-One Education Makes A Difference

Wilmington Biz: 6.15.2017 Sponsored Content by Yasmin Tomkinson, Ex Dir: Cape Fear Literacy Council

I want to be the first person in my family to get a diploma. I have a two-year-old daughter. I need to be able to support her and help her with school. She has to see that getting an education is worth something.

Adults come to Cape Fear Literacy Council for a variety of reasons. Many, like the student quoted above, desire to break a generations-long cycle of low literacy and improve the lives of their children. A few have never attended school and are starting with the alphabet. Others have diplomas and just need to brush up on math or writing in order to get into college or obtain professional certifications.  Many of our students are working toward their GEDs or diplomas.

Currently, students in our Adult Literacy program are between 18 and 86 years old, and each has his or her own learning goals.

The core of our Adult Literacy program is one-on-one tutoring. The individual approach offers flexibility in scheduling and ensures that adult learners receive a personalized strategy of instruction that is geared to their specific needs, goals and learning styles. We use research-based skill books tailored to the appropriate level for each learner.

But at Cape Fear Literacy Council (CFLC), our dedicated volunteer tutors go above and beyond skill books and curricula to help their students become more productive members of the community. They help students improve employment skills, learn to vote, get driver’s licenses and work on financial literacy.  READ MORE @

Career Pathways Programming for Lower-Skilled Adults and Immigrants: Report on Survey Findings

Career Pathways Programming for Lower-Skilled Adults and Immigrants: Report on Survey Findings

May 2017

Esther Prins, Carol Clymer, Blaire Willson

Toso Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy, Pennsylvania State University

Landscape of Adult Education and Career Pathways in High-Need Cities: A First Look

Our initial aim is to examine the role of adult education programs as a gateway to career pathway transitions and outcomes for lower-skilled adults and immigrants.  The 2-year study will explore how adult education providers in three cities integrate career pathway components, and interact with workforce development and postsecondary systems, to enable these adults to access career pathways. The project will identify outcomes, promising practices, and practices in development so that peer agencies can better share knowledge to shape effective practices and policy.

Why focus on adult career pathways?

The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that 93 million adults function below the high school level in reading and math. Because many of these learners have low incomes and struggle to enter higher education or obtain living-wage jobs, career pathways are a prevalent strategy to help them access employment and postsecondary education. The career pathways concept has been jointly endorsed by the federal Departments of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services and figures prominently in the 2014 reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act that funds adult education and literacy instruction.  READ MORE @

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Huron MI :: Des Moines IA :: Clermont/Brown Cos OH

Literacy & Beyond

Literacy and Beyond moving to just serve moms, children

Times Herald: 6.06.2017 by Nicole Hayden

Kristy Loxton has passed three of her GED subject tests so far, with only the math test left to tackle. After years without a diploma, she’s feeling pretty happy that she is so close to building a more stable life for her and her daughter.

Loxton, 24, of Lexington, is a student at Literacy and Beyond, a GED prep center in Port Huron. She said her success is directly tied to the fact that the program not only allows her to bring her daughter with her every day, but provides child care and education for her 3-year-old as well.

“She loves it here,” Loxton said, referring to her daughter Alexis. “She asks me every day if she can come to school.”

In the coming year, Literacy and Beyond will be able to help even more students just like Loxton thanks to several grants and the purchase of a new building. In addition, while the organization has served all students in the past, its plans to open the program only to young moms and their children in the upcoming year.

═════════►‎

Jessie Wiegand, Literacy and Beyond program manager, said while the GED program has focused on helping all students over the past few years, it will now focus solely on serving mothers with young children.

The organization offers GED prep for mothers, early education for their children, and dual learning that brings both the mothers and children together to learn at the same time. The program starts after Labor Day and runs for 44 weeks. Students attend class Monday through Friday, either in the morning or afternoon.

“Research shows that children’s education is directly tied to mom’s education,” Hinkley said. “That why the 2 GEN approach is so important. We are targeting both vulnerable moms and kids at the same time, in the same place.”

By offering early childhood education, it also overcomes one big barrier that young moms have when trying to earn their GED – childcare.  READ MORE @

Drake's Adult Literacy Center focuses on the small things

Des Moines Register: 6.08.2017 by Molly Longman

About 17 years ago, Kay Runner sat in her truck in front of the Drake University's School of Education building. She'd stopped by the school a couple of times before to check out Drake's adult literacy center, but she could never force herself to go inside.

But that day something was different.

"I moved my truck to different spots in the parking lot a few times, and then I said, 'Nope, you know what, Kay? You're going in."

Runner, now 70, has been returning to the building once a week, for a good portion of the past 17 years for a program that helps adults who never learned to read and write well.

"It takes a lot of nerve for an adult to come in and ask for help," Runner remembers. "When you're talking about adults that have a hard time reading or have shortcomings, it's hard to admit. It's hard to bring yourself in. It takes a lot of gumption."

The Des Moines native originally came to the center for help taking the General Educational Development exam, or GED. Once she passed in 1994, she stopped attending sessions for a while, but came back a year or so later to continue her education.

"Just because someone gets their GED doesn't mean they know how to read very well," Runner says. "I never used to read, and now I have a whole bookcase that's full of books that I've read,"

Her favorite book is "A Walk in the Woods," but she says she never would have read it without the help of her tutors at the adult literacy center.

"I'm 70 and severely dyslexic, so learning has gotten harder for me with age and so it's better for me to come to class," Runner said.  READ MORE @

Literacy Council

Clermont/Brown Cos

Courts, literacy council team up to help non-readers, low-level readers

Cincinnati.com: 6.09.2017 by Sheila Vilvens

Rick has a secret. It’s one he’s hid all of his adult life.

“It’s embarrassing,” he said. Rick, a Mount Washington man who wishes to keep his last name anonymous, can’t read. Or couldn’t until a year ago when he finally sought help from the Literacy Council of Clermont and Brown Counties.

They paired him with a reading partner, Tom McAndrews of Union Township. Every Wednesday for the past year the two have met for hour long reading sessions. Recently Rick finished the book “Hatchet”.

“I read the last two chapters by myself,” he proudly announced.

This is the type of success story the Clermont County Domestic Courts hopes to facilitate through a new partnership with the Literacy Council of Clermont and Brown Counties. At the very least the courts hope to help non-readers and low-level readers who are unrepresented by attorneys get through upwards of 40 online papers involved in proceedings like divorce, Judge Kathleen Rodenberg said.

The idea began with compliance officer/mediator Kay Heile. She deals with a lot of people without lawyers, Rodenberg said.

“I had never given it much thought, that we might have people who have trouble reading,” she said.

But it was something Heile was seeing along with her colleagues and was tasked with addressing. That’s when Heile reached out to Susan Vilardo, the executive director of the literacy council.

Through the partnership, Vilardo said they hope to help people navigate their way through their court proceedings and at the same time make them aware of the services provided by the literacy council.  READ MORE @