Latest Estimated Value of Volunteer Time – 2014 :: $26.87 California

Actual Size

National Value of Volunteer Time

Independent Sector: 2015

Latest Estimated Value of Volunteer Time – 2014

National:   $23.07 per hour

California: $26.87 per hour

The estimate helps acknowledge the millions of individuals who dedicate their time, talents, and energy to making a difference. Charitable organizations can use this estimate to quantify the enormous value volunteers provide.

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, about 62.6 million Americans, or 25.4 percent of the adult population, gave 7.7 billion hours of volunteer service worth $173 billion in 2013.2 For the latest information, please see Volunteering and Civic Life in America 2015

The value of volunteer time is based on the hourly earnings (approximated from yearly values) of all production and non-supervisory workers on private non-farm payrolls average (based on yearly earnings provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics) for the national average. Independent Sector indexes this figure to determine state values and increases it by 12 percent to estimate for fringe benefits.

Charitable organizations most frequently use the value of volunteer time for recognition events or communications to show the amount of community support an organization receives from its volunteers.  READ MORE @

California ranks 38th in kids' well-being : : KIDS COUNT 2015

California ranks 38th in kids' well-being

Daily Democrat: 7.21.2015 by Sharon Noguchi

Parents struggling to earn a living, the effects of poverty and astronomical housing costs all drag down California's children to the point that an annual national survey ranks the Golden State 38th in the nation in overall child well-being.

And, the benefits of the economic resurgence aren't evenly filtering down, leaving the state's children 49th in the nation in economic well-being, according to the 2015 Kids Count Profile released late Monday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

"That's really alarming for the future of our state," said Jessica Mindnich, director of research for the Oakland-based advocacy group Children Now, which analyzed California data for the survey.

Nearly one in four children, or 23 percent, lives in poverty. And the toll may be even higher in Silicon Valley. Even three minimum-wage jobs together would fall $10,000 short of what it takes to support a family of three in the valley, said Dana Bunnett, director of the San Jose-based advocacy group Kids In Common.

═════════►

California's ranking

-- 38: overall among all states

-- 49: in economic well-being

-- 38: in education

-- 14: in health

-- 42: in family and community

READ MORE !

Azusa Library : : Making Skills Everyone's Business

New Report Summons a Call to Make Skills Everyone’s Business 

Azusa Library, The Literacy Update: March/April 2015

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE) released a new report in February: Making Skills Everyone’s Business: A Call to Transform Adult Learning in the United States. Its authors’ review of a convergence of data, analysis, and policy highlight just how much skills matter – to individuals, their families and communities, and to the economy overall.  The Literacy Program at the Azusa City Library answers that call and invites you to join with us.  Here are a few highlights from the report that emphasize why we do what we do.

In the United States 36 million adults have low skills, scoring below Level 2 on the most recent international literacy assessment.  Further, the skill levels of U.S. adults have remained stagnant over two decades. The report details who has low skills and who would benefit from gaining higher skills.  For instance, we find that two-thirds of the low-skilled population (nearly 24 million people) are employed. With slow projected growth in the labor force, that means that most of tomorrow’s workforce already is  working today. Low-skilled workers tend to be employed in retail and auto mechanics, hospitality and food service, health and social work, manufacturing, and construction.

  

How can individuals benefit?

 Higher skills lead to higher wages.

 Increasing parents’ skill can improve education outcomes for their children – “double duty” dollars is what some people call it.

 Higher-skilled adults are healthier, with implications for their ability to work,     parent, and participate in their communities.

How can business and industry benefit?

 Increasing adult skills increases productivity.

 Because higher-skilled workers are also likely to be healthier, helping adults  improve their skills indirectly raises productivity.

 Increasing skills expands access to better employment and better-paying jobs, creating new customers for products and services.

How can the community benefit?

 Raising adult skills could lift community educational attainment for the next generation as well.

 States with better-educated workforces have higher economic growth and higher wages.

 Raising adult skills could potentially save communities substantial amounts in healthcare costs.

 Integrating immigrants may benefit communities economically.

 Raising adult skills could result in more civic engagement in communities.

Literacy Infographics - Literate Nation

Literacy Infographics @ Literate Nation

Check out @LiterateNation's phenomenal #infographics!!!

#literacy #edchat #illiteracy #SEEDS #LN

http://ow.ly/wxOGV

Read More . . . See More !

Libraries - Share What You Know About Adult Literacy

TimetoReskill Slide Show

Share What You Know About Adult Literacy:

Libraries Invited to Provide Input

UpNext: The IMLS Blog: 1.23.2014 by mheintz

A Joint OVAE-IMLS UpNext Blog Post

Results from the latest international study of adult skills, Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) Survey of Adult Skills, show that the U.S. workforce trails many other developed nations in foundational skills essential for both individuals and the nation as a whole to thrive. These skills include the ability to read, the ability to understand numbers and do math, and the ability to solve problems using technology.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education and the Institute of Museum and Library Services invite libraries to visit TimetoReskill.org to learn more about hosting a roundtable.

The site’s many resources include:

-A consultation paper, a 10-page paper that can be shared in advance of an event to provide background on the skills issue and the framework for the National Action Plan

-A toolkit, a step-by-step guide to running a local roundtable from types of people to invite to what questions to pose

-An online feedback form (Submit comments by March 14 to be considered in the Plan.)

Learn more about the results of the study by reading Time for the U.S. to Reskill? What the Survey of Adult Skills Says, a report completed by OECD at the request of the U.S. Department of Education.

Libraries play an important role in boosting adults’ foundational skills and they have the ability to offer important insights that can help shape the national action plan. Libraries can take part by hosting roundtable discussion to provide input on the plan.

Save California Public Library & Literacy Funding

SAVE PUBLIC LIBRARY LITERACY FUNDING !
Letters, Phone Calls, Faxes, Emails

California Library Literacy Services: 2009-2010
$4.558 million budget provided services to low-literacy adults and their families. Return on Investment: Every $1 of state funds leverages $4 in additional funds

Adult Literacy and Families for Literacy105 Public Libraries provided services for:
42,497 Adults
46,983 Children
30,043 Children’s books were distributed
12,098 Volunteers provided 826,002 hours of free tutoring
= $19.34M Using EDD's average California hourly wage figure for 2010 of $23.42

Mobile Library Literacy Services
@ low-income housing developments, migrant camps, daycare centers and health clinics.
14,579 parents and caregivers
32,776 at-risk children (ages 0 - 5)

English Language & Literacy Intensive (ELLI)
9,037 school children struggling to learn English were served
5,137 of their English language learning parents

Most of the local/private funds would not be made available without the state's money to leverage.

Job Outcomes for Adult Learners
59% were able to complete a job application
45% wrote a resume
42% interviewed for a job
28% actually secured a job or were promoted at work

Voting Outcomes for Adult Learners49% were able to vote for the first time
43% became volunteers in their community

Library-based literacy programs are their only hope.

Here's what one adult learner had to say . . . . . .
"I could read a little bit, but not that good, and I've been to almost every prison in California....I lived on the other side and now I'm here and it is nice. It's a big difference. After I get my GED, I plan to go to community college. I want to study accounting. My dream is to come back and help someone else like they helped me."

California Ranks 46th in Fourth Grade Reading Proficiency

California Ranks 46th in Fourth Grade Reading Proficiency: Roughly 3 in 4 are failing to read at grade level

Early Warning!
Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters:
A KIDS COUNT Special Report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation May 18, 2010

A new report released today highlights the need to increase the number of children reading at grade level by the end of third grade, a critical academic milestone that can predict whether or not children graduate from high school.

According to the KIDS COUNT Special Report, Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters, from The Annie E. Casey Foundation, children’s reading proficiency is central to their school success, life-long earning potential and ability to contribute to the nation’s economy and its security.

California ranks 46th in the nation in fourth grade reading proficiency, with roughly three out of four fourth-graders (76 percent) failing to read at grade level. The state’s high school dropout rate is approaching 20 percent overall, with rates ranging from eight percent for Asian students, 12 percent for white students, 24 percent for Latino students and 33 percent for African American students. In California, this translates into 98,000 students per class who fail to graduate.

With 6.3 million public K-12 students, California has the largest and most diverse student population in the nation; for example, roughly 40 percent of the state’s kindergartners are designated English learners. The state’s ability to provide every child a high-quality education has impacts for children, the state and the nation. Children’s reading proficiency is central to their school success and their earning potential. It is estimated that each high school dropout costs society $260,000 in lost earnings, taxes and productivity. Moreover, California’s economic vitality, dependent on a skilled and educated workforce, is facing a projected shortfall of one million college graduates by 2025.

Los Angeles Co Library - L.A. County facing growing poverty, erosion of middle class, United Way report says

L.A. County facing growing poverty, erosion of middle class, United Way report says
LA Times Blog – LA Now: February 9, 2010 by Ching-Ching Ni

Los Angeles County faces a poverty crisis and an erosion of the middle class that could worsen under the current economic downturn, according to a report by the United Way.

The county's poverty rate is now higher than the rest of the nation's, according to the report, which surveyed the county's economic situation in 2009. More than 1.47 million people, or 15% of the county's population, live on an income of $22,000 a year for a family of four, the report says. The national average is 13%.

The full report will be available Tuesday at 3 p.m. at the United Way of Greater Los Angeles' website.

Nearly four in 10 people in L.A. County suffer from extreme poverty, the report says; those people live on less than $5,400 a year for a single person or about $11,000 for a family of four.

The jobless rate had soared to 12.3% by early 2009, wiping out all job growth from the previous decade, the report states. Wages remained stagnant and did not keep up with housing costs.

The middle class also felt the pinch, the report says. Only 1% of salaried workers saw significant income growth, while the average worker’s pay fell nearly $2 an hour.

The United Way survey also said the ranks of the working poor swelled in 2009. Defined as families of four making less than $44,000 a year, that group in Los Angeles County is now 7.5% greater than the national average. READ MORE !

Tale of Two Cities has Statistics for: Education, Employment & Income, Homelessness & Housing and Health.

International Literacy Study scheduled for 2011 by PIAAC, OECD, US Department of Ed and NCES

International Literacy Study
scheduled for 2011 by PIAAC, OECD, US Department of Ed and NCES.

DoED is accepting public comments before Feb 26, 2010.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION –
Requests Comments about PIAAC
Federal Register: December 28, 2009 - V74, #247

Title: Programme For The International Assessment Of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 2010 Field Test and 2011/2012 Main Study Data Collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before February 26, 2010.

Abstract: NCES seeks OMB approval to survey adults (16-65 years old) for the field-test administration of the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) in 2011. PIAAC is coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and sponsored by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor.

PIAAC is expected to be on a 10-year cycle.
In 2011, 28 countries, including 23 OECD-member countries, plan to participate.

The U.S. PIAAC field test data collection will occur between August and November 2010. The main study will occur between September 2011 and March 2012. NCES will seek approval for the full-scale instruments in the fall of 2010.

Visit literacyspace for more information.

America’s Most Literate Cities: 2009

America’s Most Literate Cities: 2009
Central Connecticut State University: December 22, 2009

Drawing from a variety of available data resources, the America’s Most Literate Cities study ranks the largest cities (population 250,000 and above) in the United States. This study focuses on six key indicators of literacy: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources.

Dr. John W. Miller, president of Central Connecticut State University, is the author of this study. Research for this edition of AMLC was conducted in collaboration with the Center for Public Policy and Social Research at CCSU. Overall Ranking and Rankings by Category.

Seattle is ranked the most literate city.
San Francisco is the highest ranked CA city @ 12.

California cities dominate the Bottom 20.
56 San Jose, CA
58 Riverside, CA
62 Los Angeles, CA
63 Long Beach, CA
65 Fresno, CA
66 Glendale, AZ
67 Santa Ana, CA
68 Mesa, AZ
69 Anaheim, CA
70 Arlington, TX
71 Aurora, CO
72 Stockton, CA
73 Bakersfield, CA
74 Corpus Christi, TX
75 El Paso, TX

California Budget - Library Cuts 2010-11

Legislative Analyst’s Office Projects $20.7 Billion Budget Problem
CLA Action Alert: November 18, 2009

Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) report:
The 2010-11 Budget: California's Fiscal Outlook.

According to the report, the $20.7 billion Budget problem, "consists of a $6.3 billion projected deficit for 2009-10, and a $14.4 billion gap between projected revenues and spending in 2010-11." The vast majority of the new Budget problem, according to the LAO, is the result of several major "solutions" in the recently enacted Budget, that did not pan out as well as additional funding owed to schools.

Tips For Lobbying Your Legislator - During Difficult Budget Years
By Mike Dillon and Christina Dillon DiCaro, CLA Lobbyists

REINTRODUCE YOUR LEGISLATOR TO YOUR LIBRARY

When you are visiting with your legislator, please take the opportunity to ask him or her to attend an event at your library. While we personally know of legislators who actively visit their local libraries, unfortunately many lawmakers have not set foot in one in a long time. It is not unusual for a legislator who does not have a particular attachment to a local library to ask us, “With the advancement of Barnes and Noble, do we even need libraries any more ?”

Explain to your legislator that the 2010-2011 Budget does not contain any cuts to library programs such as the Public Library Foundation, Transaction Based Reimbursement, and English Acquisition and Literacy Program. Ask your legislator to continue to support public libraries and to resist talks of future cuts.

MARKET YOUR LIBRARY !

Many legislators simply do not know of the extensive services you provide. Pick three or four that are very unusual or popular and highlight them in your discussion. Explain what the modern day library provides to its patrons.
Get Rich @ Your Library

Your public library is a goldmine of books, magazines, movies, music and other great stuff. There are many ways you can Get Rich @ Your Library !

Don't Know Your Legislators ? Click Here

Literacy . . . Info . . . News . . . Questions - PPIC Skills Gap

Educating California: Choices for the Future
Public Policy Institute of California - PPIC
Hans Johnson - June 2009

The bad news is that California is facing a “skills gap” - a shortage of college graduates - that threatens its economic future. But the good news is that modest improvements in college enrollment, community college transfers, and the college completion rate, particularly in the California State University system, could help to narrow that gap substantially. These improvements will not only help California’s young adults succeed in an increasingly high-skill economy but will also benefit the state by increasing tax revenues and allowing for greater economic growth.

California’s economy is becoming increasingly dependent on highly educated workers. But unless young adults’ college-going and college graduation rates increase substantially, the supply of graduates is not likely to meet the demand. PPIC projects that by 2025, 41 % of jobs will require at least a bachelor’s degree— but only 35 percent of California adults will have college diplomas.

FULL REPORT

NAAL 2003 - California Counties

NAAL *2003: Indirect County and State Estimates of the Percentage of Adults at the Lowest Literacy Level for 1992 and 2003 just released.

National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) assessed the English literacy skills of a nationally representative sample of 18,500 U.S. adults (age 16 and older) residing in private households. NAAL is the first national assessment of adult literacy since the *1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS).

California State estimate: 23%

Estimates for California Counties (top 5 with lowest literacy rates):

41% Imperial
34% Colusa
33% Los Angeles
32% Tulare
29% Madera

Complete List @ ~ can view county-by-county for each state
~~~ note: can copy counties table and then sort by %'s

State estimates (full report):
~ can view state numbers by individual state or compare 2 states
~ the only table of all 50 states is Table B-1 mentioned above

*2003 SAAL states: KY, MD, MA, MO, NY, and OK
*1992 SALS states: CA, IL, IN, IA, LA, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TX, and WA

a few newspaper articles from around CA:

California literacy at bottom
Press Enterprise: Jan 8, 2009 by Shirin Parsavand

Almost 1 in 4 adults in California have such poor literacy skills they cannot follow a simple newspaper article, a federal study released Thursday said.

1 in 5 lacks basic literacy skills
Illiteracy numbers shot up between 1992 and 2003
NC Times: Jan 8, 09 by Stacy Brandt

The estimate is based on information that the National Center for Education Statistics collected in 2003 about adult literacy. It wasn't until recently that the center, a federal agency that gathers and analyzes education-related data, broke down the numbers to the state and county level.

In San Diego County, 21 percent of people 16 or older are functionally illiterate, the data show.

and a comment from Stephen Krashen's newsletter:

The "Decline" in Adult Literacy: Don't Blame Teachers and Schools!
Stephen Krashen, Professor Emeritus, USC - January 12, 2009

A number of newspaper articles have announced yet another "decline in literacy." This time it's adults, who, it is claimed, have dropped in literacy between 1992 and 2003, with a greater percentage lacking basic literacy.

This has resulted in the usual pious pronouncements about the low quality of our schools, our teachers, and poor teaching methods at all levels. Education Secretary Spellings, for example, was quoted in USA Today as saying that adult literacy programs are "inefficient" and "not using research-based methods" (January 8, 2008).

A look at the actual report shows that these conclusions are completely unjustified.

In 1992, only 24,000 adults in 11 states were actually tested on literacy. In 2003, only 18,500 adults in seven states were tested on literacy, a tiny percentage of the population. Researchers then gathered data on factors known to be connected to literacy, factors such as poverty levels, level of education, and minority status. They then used this data to make an educated guess about levels of literacy for the rest of the population.

In other words, one or more of the values of the predictors changed between 1992 and 2003 (the report does not specify which predictors have changed or how much). The change in the values of the predictors is undoubtedly the major reason for the "decline" of literacy that was reported. Literacy wasn't actually measured for most of the country.

The estimates of adult literacy are probably fairly accurate, and the value of the study is that it gives planners of adult literacy programs some idea of what they are up against.

The study does not, however, tell us whether schools are improving or getting worse, or whether one method of teaching reading is better than another, or whether teachers in general are better or worse than they were. All we really know from the study is that some things have changed between 1993 and 2003, factors that have nothing to do with teaching methods and teachers.

Critics should not blame schools for factors that have nothing to do with schools.

National Assessment of Adult Literacy: Indirect County and State Estimates of the Percentage of Adults at the Lowest Literacy Level for 1992 and 2003.

In fact, in the 1992, 24,000 adults in 11 states

2003: 18,500 in 7 states

They then estimated literacy rates in states not included, poverty, level of education, and minority status. Studies have shown that all of these are related to literacy.

In other words, most of the data is really a report on poverty, level of education, and minority status. In other words, what has changed between 1992 and 2003 is levels of poverty, levels of education, and percentage of minorities. They ASSUME from this that literacy levels have changed.

High poverty means less access to reading material.

Poverty not included in 1992 estimates, which may be why they are higher!

In other words, WHAT CHANGED WAS NOT LITERACY BUT LEVELS OF POVERTY, LEVELS OF EDUCATION AND PERCENTAGE OF MINORITIES.

Literacy In Libraries Around California + Value Volunteer Time 2007

Value of Volunteer Time: 2007

The 2006* estimated dollar value of volunteer time in California: $21.97. $19.51 per hour for the U.S. according to Independent Sector.

Charts for:
1) Dollar Value of a Volunteer Hour: 1980 – 2007

2) Dollar Value of a Volunteer Hour, by State: 2006 *
~ Please note that 2006 is the latest year for which state numbers are available.
~ There is a lag of almost one year in the government's release of state level data.

visit literacyspace for other reports on volunteers.

Volunteer to tutor @ your local library:
SCLLN, BALIT, Northern California Literacy Coalition or CLLS