Friday, July 22, 2016

Riverside County Library :: For many Inland residents, illiteracy remains a daily struggle, but libraries and others are trying to help.

For many Inland residents, illiteracy remains a daily struggle, but libraries and others are trying to help.
Press Enterprise: 6.10.2016 by Patrick O’Neill

Maria Luz Colchado stared at a computer in Jurupa Valley's Louis Robidoux Library, a pair of padded headphones on her head, listening to an energetic, Spanish-speaking man describe how the program would lead to a better grasp of reading and writing in her native tongue.

Colchado, 56, paused to discuss her path to Riverside County's Literacy Lab.

"I went to school in Michoacan, Mexico, until I was in second grade, then I had to work," Colchado said.

Colchado left school when her father died. By 9, she was cleaning homes and baby-sitting for neighbors to support her family. Dropping out of school was common, "a thing we did to help out," she said.

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