Santa Barbara Library - Program Wins Community Service Award !

Program Wins Community Service Award !
Santa Barbara Literacy Newsletter: March 2011

We are delighted to share the news that the Dyslexia Awareness and Resource Center (DARC) and its Board of Directors have chosen the Santa Barbara Public Library’s Adult Literacy Program to receive their annual “Vision and Task” Service Award, honoring the organization’s consistent endeavors and commitment to the adults of our community with learning disabilities.

“Words cannot express how appreciative we are of your organization’s dedication and commitment over the years to the adults of our community whom it is the Center’s mission to help. We cannot think of a more worthy recipient of this year’s award,” states DARC Founder and Program Director Joan Esposito and Executive Director Leslie Esposito.

The Santa Barbara Public Library’s Adult Literacy Program will be honored during an award luncheon at the 15th Annual “Vision and Task” Conference, Saturday, March 19, at the Marjorie Luke Theater. The conference’s main speaker is Rick Lavoie, a nationally known expert on working with children with learning disabilities. Many of you will recognize Lavoie as the teacher in the “How Difficult Can This Be” videos about learning disabilities that we have often shown in training programs.

The Santa Barbara Public Library System has been matching adult learners with trained volunteers since 1987 for free, confidential tutoring in reading, writing and basic math skills. The program has enabled over 2700 adult learners to improve basic skills necessary for employment, daily living, and reading for enjoyment. Over a thousand local adults have volunteered as one-to-one tutors to help other adults read to children, prepare to enroll in college, become citizens, and earn a GED, among other goals. READ MORE !

California Budget Update: March 16

California Budget Update
Mar 16 - Sacramento

~ approved 20 pieces of legislation that enacts some of the cuts called for in the Governor's budget.
~ approved billions of dollars in cuts to welfare, medical programs for the poor and in-home care for the elderly and frail, among other services

Didn't approve the budget, that vote may come as early as today.

The cuts and money transfers approved Wednesday are (Neon Tommy):
SB 72 - Human Services - $1.7 Billion
CalWORKS grants; Care time through in-home supportive services; Supplemental social security payments would be reduced.
SB 74 -Developmental Services - $750 Million
SB 80 - Misc. - $230 Million
About $101 million in Indian casino revenues would be sent to the general fund in each of the next five years.
SB 82 (AB 106)
Allows the state to borrow money and defer payments to entities such as colleges.
AB 97 - Health Care Cuts - $1.8 Billion (SB 73)
AB 99 - Cigarette Tax Fund Shift - $1 Billion (SB 75)
AB 100 - Mental Health Care - $860 Million (SB 76)
AB 105 - Transportation Fund Shift- $1 Billion (SB 81)
scheduled to reconvene Thursday to tackle Redevelopment Agencies as well as Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to ask voters to approve a temporary extension of sales, income and vehicle taxes set to expire this year.

READ MORE @ Neon Tommy
the online publication of the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism

2010 Writer To Writer Awards - SCLLN

2010 Writer To Writer Awards
Southern California Library Literacy Network
Literacy Conference

Level 1: Emerging Writers
Winner - Ramon G, Carlsbad City Library Learning Center
1st Runner Up - Dominique C, READ/San Diego
2nd Runner Up - Ashley P, Newport Beach Public Library

Level 2: Beginning Writers
Winner - Maria A, READ/San Diego
1st Runner Up - Leticia B, Los Angeles Public Library
2nd Runner Up - Carmen C, Carlsbad City Library Learning Center

Level 3: Intermediate Writers
Winner - Kim A, Carlsbad City Library Learning Center
1st Runner Up - Margarita C, Huntington Beach Library
2nd Runner Up - Alma G, City of Imperial Public Library 

Level 4: Advanced Writers
Winner - Dee T, Glendale Public Library
1st Runner Up - Therese L, Los Angeles Public Library
2nd Runner Up - Hun L, READ/Orange County

Learners write a letter to an author of a book telling them how the book influenced their lives. Winners will be recognized at an awards ceremony that will take place during the lunchtime program at the Southern California Library Literacy Network (SCLLN) Literacy Conference March 5.

The winners received $100, a plaque, a journal and a pen.
The runners-up received $25, a certificate, a journal and a pen.
Their letters were published in a book and will be posted on the SCLLN website and blog. Watch for them.

Congratulations all !

BUDGET COMMITTEE SAVES LIBRARY FROM ELIMINATION

BUDGET CONFERENCE COMMITTEE SAVES LIBRARY PROGRAMS FROM ELIMINATIONBudget Bills Head To The Floors Next Week
CLA: 3.03.11 by Mike Dillon and Christina DiCaro, CLA Lobbyists

This afternoon the powerful 10 member Budget Conference Committee put their final mark on a massive reduction and revenues package, addressing the Governor’s plan to close a whopping $26 billion Budget deficit. One of their final actions was approving a “Conference Compromise” to spare the three library programs – the Public Library Foundation, the California Library Services Act, and the State literacy program, from elimination. You will recall that the Governor’s January Budget recommended complete elimination of $30.4 million for these three programs, which would also jeopardize millions in federal dollars associated with the CLSA. The Assembly Version of the Budget sought to spare the three programs from deep cuts, while the Senate initially agreed to accept the Governor’s proposal to eliminate the programs. And so, when the Conference Committee met this afternoon, they formally approved an action to keep the following dollar amounts in these three programs:

“Conference Compromise”
~ $8.5 million in the California Library Services Act
(at this funding level, also allows the State Library to maintain its federal MOE/match)
~ $3.7 million in the California Library Literacy Services program
~ $3 million in the Public Library Foundation

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. . . many of the items being voted on in the Conference Committee have received votes that are split along party-lines. We believe that the strong bipartisan vote on our three items will certainly help to encourage the Governor to leave the $15.2 million in the Budget for these programs.

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The intention is for the Assembly and Senate to vote on the Budget bills next week. We will give you information on Monday regarding contacting the Governor to encourage him to leave the $15.2 million in the Budget for library funding.

Orange Co Library - Profile: READ Jr. Tutor Vyvy Pham

Profile: READ Jr. Tutor Vyvy Pham
Read Writes: Feb/Mar 2011

You have often heard us talking in recent years about READ Jr, the new program designed to help our learners with grade school aged children. In this program, teen tutors work with adult learners and their children aged 6-12 years old to help them learn together as a family. The children get direct help with their reading and writing skills, while the parents learn how to better support their children in school. The program has generated a lot of excitement, and we are always looking for new tutors and learner families to help it take off! Here are the words of Vyvy Pham, one of our original READ Jr. tutors:

I first heard of this program through Carol Tsai during the summer going into my junior year. Right before the summer started, I was told by my guidance counselor that I needed community service to make my transcript look better, so I applied as a volunteer for the Friends of the Library Bookstore. Carol Tsai, the volunteer coordinator at the time, gave me my weekly shift at the bookstore for the summer. When I met her for the first time, I asked her if she knew of another way to earn even more community service hours on top of the library shifts. She then told me about how she was trying to get a program to start and that I should attend the first meeting. READ MORE !

Monrovia Library - Local Volunteers Promote Literacy at the Library

Local Volunteers Promote Literacy at the Library
Monrovia Patch: 2.28.11 by Christine Langteau

American-born Christine Langteau and Korean-born Grace Kim are two longtime California residents from different cultures who meet every week as tutor and student in the Monrovia Public Library’s Literacy Program.

"The best way to learn is to meet with a person who speaks English as much as I can," said Kim.

Langteau, who also works in the Los Angeles Law Library in the Pomona courthouse, said part of her interest in the literacy program came from seeing her daughter’s challenges with learning how to read. That made her appreciate how difficult English can be for any learner, from native speakers to ESL students.

"Having seen that, I come at it from a different perspective," said Langteau.

Langteau and Kim have been working together for almost a year. When they began, they focused on working out of a Voyager series library workbook for three months.

"Actually, I noticed I picked up a lot of words I didn’t know before," said Kim. Langteau said that while the Voyager series was helpful, some terms in the stories were not commonly used today. Kim said she felt she needed more that applied to her real life, so Langteau brought newspaper articles for them to go over together.

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In the senior adult day care where she works, Kim usually speaks Korean with her coworkers, but at times, she has helped them with English. For example, at election time, Kim read the propositions on the ballots and translated them for her coworkers. Reading the more formal writing was less challenging for Kim than reading the slang and idiom-soaked articles in the L.A. Times.

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One very meaningful experience that Langteau and Kim shared was when Langteau helped Kim write a letter in English to her son for his birthday.

Kim said her children have often been very helpful in explaining new English words to her. But now, she doesn’t want to ask them to help with her English anymore. She feels motivated to learn more English on her own, so she can impress them with her language skills.

"The reality is that we are living in America. Wherever we go, we are required to speak English. Whether we go to the market or DMV, that’s the reality," said Kim. She says the tutoring sessions with Langteau have helped improve her English on many levels.

"I feel confidence," Kim said. "Whenever I don’t know, I ask her. Sometimes I send text messages." READ MORE !