Oceanside Library :: Request for Proposals :: Adult Literacy Services

Request for Proposals - Adult Literacy Services

Oceanside News: 10.24.2017

RFP

The Oceanside Public Library, a department of the City of Oceanside, has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP), seeking a qualified consultant to review all aspects of the Library’s provision of literacy services for English-speaking adults, or Adult Literacy services. These services offer a path to literacy for adult learners, building skills and changing lives in a positive, confidential environment. The consultant’s recommendations may be applied to the Oceanside READS Literacy Program, or to any Adult Literacy services the Library may provide or coordinate.  

The consultant will be expected to address the following areas and make recommendations:

> Community adult literacy needs and outcomes analysis

> Progress and status tracking for adult learners

> Resource management to meet objectives and service level needs

> Tools and materials

> Marketing and collaboration

The RFP may be found here.

Proposals must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. PST on Tuesday, November 28, 2017.

Please direct all questions to Brad Penner, Library Division Manager, no later than Friday, November 3, 2017.

NaNoWriMo @ SCLLN Library Programs

NaNoWriMo @ the Library

@ SCLLN Library Programs

Los Angeles Public Library

The Literature and Fiction Department hosts a room for writers involved in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Participant writers will work towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 p.m. on November 30.  Visit LAPL Writes to learn about the library's many resources for our local author community.

Oceanside Library

Ready to write your novel this month?  Join us for a #NaNoWriMo2015 Kickoff Party in the Civic Center Community Rooms.  We will have writer friends, books for inspiration and candy to keep you going!  It’s Halloween, so wear your favorite literary costume and be ready to write.

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) veterans will be on hand to help you get your thoughts sorted, your daily and weekly writing plan set and cheers to inspire you to keep on writing.  See you there!

Upland Library

Come join us as we kick off November is National Writing Month! This is a celebration where writers around the world challenge themselves to write an entire novel in just one month. Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity!

Oceanside Library - No Idle Moments for Literacy Assistant

No Idle Moments for Literacy Assistant
Oceanside READS: Sep 2013

Some call her Demetra, others Dee.  Still others, Ms. Wilkerson.  But those who know Demetra Wilkerson well must surely also call her versatile.

In addition to the 19 hours a week she works as the literacy assistant at READS, where she has a variety of responsibilities, she has a full- time job at Marriott Hotels & Resorts, where she is a guest service associate.

At READS, besides various clerical duties, Demetra has been tutoring tutors on the use of newly acquired iPads and how they can be used as teaching tools.  She also has been put in charge of the Books & Bagels book discussion group.  And she tutors a student twice a week.  READ MORE !

Putting the iPad to Work

Among the apps downloaded to READS iPads for the benefit of tutors and students are a Literacy Skills Sampler which, Literacy Assistant Demetra Wilkerson says, is “useful for visual explanations of words” and Abby Word Search, “a fun little tool for sight words.”  Also on the tablets are ABC Magic Reading which “will provide meaningful challenges to strengthen your student’s phonemic awareness” and Cambridge Phrasal Verbs Machine which provides visual stimulation in a circus world setting with the Amazing Phraso.

Oceanside Library - Women’s Club Boosts Future Educator

Women’s Club Boosts Future Educator
Oceanside READS Newsletter: Fall 2012

“My goal in life is to become a university professor of English,” says Felipe Lagunes, 22, recipient of this year’s $500 award to a READS student from Oceanside Women’s Club.

Felipe, a 7 Eleven store employee, has been working with tutor Andrea Spolidoro since September, 2011.

He intends to use his award money to assist with college expenses; he began classes at MiraCosta College in August. “I honestly feel warm deep in my heart from all of the people who have taken time to help me out and reach my dreams,” he said. “I am really glad that I met Andrea and [READS Coordinator] Corrie Miles . . . They have been such important and helpful people who are willing to go with me through this.”

Felipe also gives his thanks to the Women’s Club, led by Maggie Owen, and the Oceanside Public Library.

Oceanside Library - Literacy program rewarding for tutors, learners

Literacy program rewarding for tutors, learners
North County Times: 9.20.2011 by Lola Sherman

About 1,200 people have been helped by Oceanside Reads literacy center since it opened 14 years ago.

On a recent day at the center, tutor Mary Lou Elliott and learner Mei Tran discussed the grammatical differences between "who" and "whom," while tutor Robin Ferencz-Kotfica helped Arturo Lopez put information into an email file and send it.

English isn't the first language for Tran, who is from Siem Reap, Cambodia, and Arturo, who hails from Oaxaca, Mexico, but the program is not necessarily geared to non-native speakers.

Learners have to be able to communicate in English. About half of them over the years have been native English speakers, according to Corrie Miles, the program's director. They simply never learned to read and write in their own language.

Elliott recalled a learner who had been in prison for a long time and came out wanting to learn to read.

She also remembers the thrill that a learner expressed when he called to say how excited he was when he went into a public bathroom and realized he could read the words "wet floor" on a sign and knew what they meant.

Miles said many students have high-school diplomas, having been "socially promoted" through the school system perhaps 20 to 30 years earlier.

Elliott has been a tutor for nine years and Ferencz-Kotfica for three, including two years in New York where she learned how much she liked it.

Generally, Miles said, tutoring sessions run for 90 minutes twice a week when the center is open: from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays.

As with all other library programs, hours have been cut due to budget constraints. READ MORE !

Oceanside Library - Progress Is Their Password

Progress Is Their Password
Oceanside Reads: Fall 2011

When lives intersect at READS the probability of positive results is pretty good. That seems to be the case with tutor Gay Hartman and student Elena Rodriguez, whose lives were guided onto a common path more than five years ago by READS Coordinator Corrie Miles. Since then Gay and Elena have spent many hours traveling that trail—a trail lined with the rewards of a richer understanding of the language.

Elena, who was born at Camp Pendleton and lived in Encinitas as a child, has already reaped some of those rewards and continues to gather more. Her learning journey with Gay has improved her word recognition and reading comprehension significantly, she says, along with strengthening her self esteem.
Gay, one of five children, was born in southwest Louisiana but has been a Californian for more than 50 years. She arrived at READS with a background as an elementary school teacher in the Orange Unified School District. She has lived in Oceanside for about eight years, and her work with Elena fits her lifestyle to perfection because she finds joy in volunteer work on several fronts.

In addition to her service at READS, Gay tutors math at Lincoln Middle School in Oceanside and helps with fund-raising for the City of Hope. She also presides over the local chapter of the Organization for Rehabilitation and Training “which supports education and training for students at risk all over the world.” And she counts herself among the volunteers at the library in Ocean Hills, the community where she lives.

Elena is the second of seven children. Her mother hails from Texas and her father from Mexico. So when she was young, “I spoke both English and Spanish at home,” she says. Her Grandfather Joseph served in the Marines, which led to her mother giving birth at Camp Pendleton.

Improving her English reading and writing skills has long been a struggle for Elena, but her work with Gay has boosted her confidence, and she remains committed to continuing her progress. READ MORE !

Oceanside Library - A Pair of Honorees

A Pair of Honorees
Oceanside Reads: Spring 2011

Two women who have joined the READS tutoring team within the last two years were honored at this year’s library volunteers luncheon in late February. They are Alma Sisco-Smith and Andrea Spolidoro.

Both of these high-energy women have been busy in recent months laying the groundwork for a larger and stronger READS program—in addition to keeping up with their regular tutoring assignments. They have mapped the program’s strengths and weaknesses, based on tutor and learner input, and have begun the search for additional financial support.

In addition, along with Coordinator Corrie Miles, they have been in close touch with Library Director Deborah Polich about strategies to keep the library’s literacy arm as strong as possible amid difficult financial times.

Andrea comes to READS from a background of working with low-income and minority populations as an administrator, trainer, and community organizer. Her last position was that of associate director of the Asian and Pacific Islander Older Adults Task Force in Los Angeles County. At READS, Andrea is currently working with learner Xinzhi.

Alma has had a long career at UC San Francisco, where she held a number of key positions, including that of director for the Worklife Resource Center. The center is responsible for overseeing campus initiatives to improve diversity, equity, conflict resolution, and mediation. She has also been a successful grant writer and brings that skill to the table at READS. Her current learner at READS is Toan, formerly of Vietnam.

Adult Literacy Awareness Month - Oceanside Library, Ontario Library

Adult Literacy Awareness Month

September Spotlight

on SCLLN Literacy Programs

Oceanside Public Library

Oceanside Reads offers free, confidential, one-on-one tutoring to English-speaking adults and youth in the Oceanside community. For information on literacy programs, please call the Oceanside READS at 760-435-5680.

Do you know someone who has a desire to learn to read, or read better?

To become an Oceanside READS learner you must:
Be 18 years of age or an out-of-school youth
Be able to speak English
Schedule an assessment with a staff member to determine your tutoring needs
Meet with your tutor for a minimum of 2 days a week, 90 minutes each time

Ontario City Library - Adult Educational Services

The Ontario City Library strives to provide fresh opportunities for life long learning to all library customers. Adult Educational Services offers a variety of life skills classes ranging from the GED Test Review and the Driver License Study Session to artistic pursuits such as Readers Theater and Creative Writing. Classes may reflect educational needs as well as stimulating personal growth topics.

In addition to regularly scheduled classes and workshops, we provide homework help and some tutoring. Staff and volunteer assistance is offered to library customers age 16 and older depending on availability. Our office is open to accommodate individual students or study groups, and our reference materials may be used in-house by the public whenever staff members are present. Our educational reference collection consists of books, videos, DVDs, audio books and interactive computer based tutorials. The materials focus on life skills, parenting, self-esteem, GED test preparation, workplace skills and much more. For information regarding study opportunities and collection materials call (909) 395-2252.

John Corcoran - Teacher Who Couldn't Read

An Open Book
High school teacher who couldn't read shares his story as an advocate of education
San Diego Union Tribune: January 26, 2008 by Stephanie K. Parry

OCEANSIDE - John Corcoran taught in the Oceanside Unified School District for 17 years and didn't know how to read.

(By the time) I was 48 years old, I had already graduated from college, taught school for 17 years in California, and I couldn't read or write or spell my native language of English," Corcoran said. This spring, Corcoran, 70, will publish his second book, "Bridge to Literacy: No Child or Adult Left Behind."

"This book really is a call for action. It's a call for gathering all the tribes on both sides of the bridge," Corcoran said. "We, as a society, cannot leave all of this to the teachers."

Corcoran's first book, "The Teacher Who Couldn't Read," told his story of struggling through elementary and high school and then college, and his subsequent experiences as an illiterate educator.

He said he wanted the world to know he didn't beat the system by faking his way through life.

"The system beats people who can't read every single day," Corcoran said.

He explained how he cheated his way through school by stealing copies of tests to memorize and having friends complete his assignments.

"I knew how to read the system, and I knew how to read people," Corcoran said.

He hid his secret from everyone except his wife, Kathleen.

"My wife was the person who did my reading and writing for me. She was my translator in a sense," Corcoran said.

Then he heard about a program at Carlsbad City Library that taught adults to read. He said he decided to try it in 1986, even though he doubted his ability to learn.

"As an adult who doesn't know how to read, we usually think something is wrong with our brain and we can't learn," Corcoran said. "So we give up on the system early, and we give up on ourselves and we carry this with us, this insecurity and fear of the written word."

He recalled lying in bed every night and thinking he wouldn't go back to his tutoring sessions because he didn't think they would do any good.

"I was going because I almost felt sorry for this 65-year-old woman (Eleanor Condit) who thought she could teach me how to read," Corcoran said.

Some days the pair would hold their classes in a room at the fire station next door to the library. The firefighter who opened the door for them was one of Corcoran's former students, so Corcoran asked his tutor to pretend he was teaching her how to read so his secret wouldn't be revealed.

Corcoran said he participated in the program for 13 months and was able to improve his reading comprehension.

"When I went from the second-grade level to the sixth-grade level, I thought I'd died and went to heaven. It whetted my appetite (to learn more)," Corcoran said.

"What we do is help people participate in their life by helping them improve their literacy skills," said Carrie Scott, literacy coordinator at the Carlsbad City Library.
. . . . .
His experiences led Cocoran to become an advocate for education, and he served under former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton on the board for the National Institute for Literacy. He also served on the San Diego Council on Literacy and the executive board of the Literacy Network of Greater Los Angeles.

He has spread his message on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Larry King Live" and "20/20."

"I just went to the library to learn how to read," Cocoran said.

"I didn't think I would learn how to read ... and here I am writing a second book." READ ON

Literacy facts:
~ More than 20 percent of adults read at or below a fifth-grade level.
~ Forty-three percent of people with the lowest literacy skills live in poverty.
~ Workers who lack a high school diploma earn an average of $452 a month. Source: National Institute for Literacy

Learn more:
For more information on learning to read, contact the San Diego Council on Literacy at (888) 850-READ (7323) or visit literacysandiego.org.

Local adult reading programs
Palomar College (760) 744-1150
Oceanside Public Library (760) 435-5680
MiraCosta College (760) 795-8710
Escondido Public Library (760) 747-2233
Carlsbad City Library (760) 434-2998

Oceanside Library - Celebrates 10th Anniversary !

Oceanside READS
Celebrates 10th Anniversary !Newsletter: Fall 2007 by Suzanne McGowan,

Youth Services and Literacy Supv.

As we move forward in our day to day routines, we don’t always take the time to stop and look at our accomplishments. Milestone years are great for taking the time to reflect on the changes and happenings over a period of time. As Oceanside READS celebrates ten years of service, I am honored to reflect on its many success stories.

Oceanside READS began as an adult literacy program in July 1997. The inaugural year served thirty-two learners with thirty-three active tutors. Ten years later, READS is a busy center that provides literacy services for adults as well as for children. This past year, Oceanside READS served ninety-one children and adult learners, with over seventy active tutors. The tutors display incredible commitment, as they not only work one-on-one with learners, meeting weekly for a minimum of six months, but they also prepare lessons, review materials, research and implement current trends and methodology, and take part in outreach programs. In 2006/2007, the topnotch tutors of Oceanside READS dedicated over four thousand volunteer hours. Although we can measure their hours of service, the value of those hours is priceless.

It is impossible to share the success stories of the READS program without mentioning Sandy Phillips and Corrie Miles. Humbly, they work with a dedication that is unrivaled. Their styles balance one another perfectly and they are a phenomenal team. Together they work to assess the needs of every learner that walks through the door. They recruit, train, schedule, match, and supervise tutors. They review materials and resources to assist the tutors with a variety of educational needs. Books & Bagels, the literacy book discussion group, is in its fifth year. READS partnered with Starbucks for three years of Sipping Stories. They host brown bag lunches and volunteer trainings as well as provide access to state and regional workshops and conferences.

The program has produced three scholarship winners, Writer to Writer award winners, and hundreds of success stories. Thank you to all of the people who have contributed to the success of Oceanside READS over the last ten years. If you would like to be a part of a first-rate literacy organization, please do not hesitate to contact Oceanside READS to find out how you can help.

Changing Lives One Word At A Time

Oceanside Library - Named "Outstanding Literacy Program" in California for 2004

Oceanside READS Wins
Oceanside Magazine: Winter 2004-05
Statewide Award for Literacy

Oceanside READS, the Oceanside Public Library's Literacy program, has been named "Outstanding Literacy Program" in California for 2004 by California Literacy. At the organization's annual meeting in San Francisco, Library Director Deborah Polich accepted the award, along with a gift of $500 for books from New Readers Press.

Literacy Coordinator Sandra Phillips notes, "California Literacy is the nation's oldest and largest statewide adult volunteer literacy organization. Our program was chosen among more than 250 literacy centers statewide, so this award is a very great honor."

Sandra Phillips and Literacy Assistant Corrie Miles lead an exceptional team of more than 55 volunteer tutors; they are all passionately dedicated to their work and to promoting literacy. Carol Naegele, Children's Services Manager, who recently announced her retirement, was also instrumental in the program's accomplishments.

Together they have formed strong partnerships with the community and with local businesses such as Starbucks, Wal-Mart, and the San Diego Union-Tribune, and with service clubs such as Oceanside Pacific Kiwanis. The program was recognized in part for developing innovative new literacy activities, and for providing the only literacy program in San Diego County which offers free tutoring for children in grades 1-12 in addition to adults.

Elvia, one of the adult learners, said, "Coming to Oceanside READS has changed my life. Thanks to my tutor, now I'm able to fill out job applications for employment, and I feel capable of voting in the upcoming election." More than 45 adults and 22 youth are currently being tutored in the program.

To learn more about California Literacy, visit their website at www.caliteracy.org.
To find out more about Oceanside READS or to volunteer as a tutor or enroll a learner, call 760-435-5683. All tutoring is free and confidential.