Adult Literacy Awareness Month :: Beverly Hills Library :: Brawley Library

Adult Literacy Awareness Month
September Spotlight on SCLLN literacy programs
Beverly Hills Public Library

S.T.A.R. Literacy Program

One-on-one tutoring is designed to teach English-speaking adults to read and write or improve existing skills. Volunteer tutors are given a twelve-hour workshop to prepare them to work with the adult learner. Classes for adult learners are one-on-one. They are held twice a week, and each class is one and one-half hours. Classes are free of charge.

Skills Taught: Reading, writing, comprehension. Recruitment: Adult learners are recruited through newspaper ads, flyers, media and word of mouth. A person 16 years of age can be admitted to the program if he or she has left high school.

Learner Orientation: Orientation is given in two-hour sessions, by appointment. The program is explained in detail and the adult learner is tested and placed at his/her individual reading level. Placement: After testing the learner is placed at the appropriate level with a tutor. If a tutor is not immediately available, the adult learner can begin the process in the reading lab with the assistance of the reading lab coordinator.

Time in Program: Since the tutoring is individualized, the time and progress of each student depends on individual goals, commitment and willingness to learn. There is no set time to complete the program.

Tutoring Sites: Tutoring sites are provided at the library and other community social service agencies, churches, synagogues and business associations.

Brawley Public Library LAMBS

The LAMBS (Literacy And Mobile Book Services) unit is a 32’ long vehicle designed by Mathews Specialty Vehicles.

The vehicle has been designed inside to accommodate a wide variety of literacy activities. The hydraulic wheelchair lift has been fitted with a removable puppet stage. There are two laptop computers with software for both parents and children. Internet sites can be cached so that patrons can view them from the unit, even though we don’t have direct Internet access on the unit. There are two color printers. There is ample shelf space to house the materials that will be available for parents and children to checkout and also for books that will be given to the children to keep at the end of each program. There is a TV and VCR for use with literacy presentations and other educational experiences.

The vehicle will be traveling throughout Imperial County giving underserved children ages 0-5 years and their parents access to literacy activities and services provided by others in our collaborative. These include but are not limited to the Health Department, the Burn Institute, Tri-County South Tobacco Education, the Center for Family Solutions, Child Abuse Prevention Council, Imperial County Office of Education, Riverside Office of Education, Imperial County Free Library and branches, Camarena Library, El Centro City Library, Literacy Volunteers of America/Imperial Valley and the Housing Authorities. The unit was made possible through a grant from the State Proposition 10 Commission, California State Library and Imperial County Proposition 10 Commission.

Adult Literacy Awareness Month

Adult Literacy Awareness Month
spotlight on SCLLN literacy programs

Anaheim Public Library Adult Literacy

714 . 765 . 1880

Anaheim offers tutoring for adults who want to improve their reading, writing, spelling and communication skills. The tutors are volunteers from the community who are trained and able to help. Services are free.

READ/OC Literacy operates the Anaheim Public Library adult literacy program. Please call or contact them by email for additional information. 714 . 566 . 3070

Adult Literacy Program at Beaumont Library District

THE PROBLEM
One out of every five American adults has trouble with day-to-day literacy activities. Things like reading a prescription label, writing a phone message, identifying the differences between cat food and tuna- fish are impossible tasks. This does not mean these adults lack intelligence. It simply means they did not get the kind of reading and writing help they needed when they were young. The problem exists in big cities and in rural areas. It exists in Beaumont.

THE SOLUTION
In 1993, the Beaumont Library District under the administration of Clara DiFelice Library, Director received funding from the California Literacy Campaign and the U.S. Department of Education to start a literacy program. She engaged La Vergne Rosow to design and coordinate a leading edge volunteer program based on her research. Twelve members of the community volunteered to become the pilot tutors. Each volunteered for a minimum of 50 hours or six months of student contact time after being paired up with an adult learner, based on convenient times for both. Most served as volunteers for considerably longer. Learners heard about the program from fliers, newspapers, TV public service announcements, radio programming, or word-of-mouth. Initially, most met at the Beaumont Library. As the program grew, the Beaumont community provided quiet places where two people could work together. The San Gorgonio Hospital and Wyle Labs accommodated the cause of literacy.

Adult Literacy Awareness Month

Adult Literacy Awareness Month, 1986
Proclamation 5519: August 27, 1986
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

The incidence of illiteracy and functional illiteracy among the Nation's adult population negatively affects our economy, our social institutions, and our security. It also limits the opportunities open to those who lack basic reading and writing skills. Estimates of the number of illiterate or functionally illiterate Americans range from twenty-three million to over fifty million.

Adult illiteracy has not received the attention it deserves. As Americans come to understand the problem better they will come to grips with it. Illiteracy is not limited to any region of the Nation, nor to any social or ethnic group. We must take this problem seriously and provide the means and the motivation to help those with literacy deficiencies to master the ability to read and write.

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The SCLLN blog will feature our member

library literacy programs throughout September.

ALHAMBRA LIBRARY LITERACY (A.L.L.)

Our mission is to help adults improve their reading and writing skills so that they perceive a positive impact on their lives in such areas as self-esteem, employment, family life, and community involvement.

A.L.L. provides one-to-one basic literacy tutoring by trained volunteers to adults (age 16+) throughout the Alhambra area. A.L.L., through the Alhambra Civic Center Library, has been offering this service since October 1983, when Alhambra joined the California Literacy Campaign.

SERVICES PROVIDED: Families for Literacy - Literacy Tutors
The Literacy Department can be contacted at (626) 570-3281

Altadena Library District: Adult Literacy Let's Read Altadena!

Funded in part by a grant from the California State Library, the Adult Literacy Services program of the Altadena Library District – Let’s Read Altadena – has been serving the residents of Altadena since 1988. For the last 15 years it has been housed at the Bob Lucas Branch Library.

Instruction is provided by volunteer tutors who have completed a 12-hour tutor training course. The services of Let’s Read Altadena are free of charge to any adult. Speakers of other languages are also encouraged to enroll in our program once they have mastered basic spoken English.

CA & National Literacy Calendar: September 2009

California Literacy Calendar: July 2009

SCLLN Literacy & Library Events & Conferences
-local, California and National Conferences-
visit
Southern California Library Literacy Network
for more information

Current Tutor Training Workshops scrolling in left frame

Local Events

Sep 2: 10x10 Literacy Campaign – Centro Latino for Literacy
Sep 3-27: Festival of Children – South Coast Plaza
Sep 10 – 5pm: Manos Amigas/Helping Hands - Centro Latino for Literacy
Sep 12-13: Santa Monica Book Fair
Sep 19-8:30am: Orton-Gillingham Method – San Diego
Sep 21-9am: What is Dyslexia - Cyberspace
Sep 25-27: Southern California Writer’s Conference – LA
Sep 26-11am: Storypalooza – Santa Monica

National Events

Sep 8: International Literacy Day
Sep 9-10am: Intl Literacy Day Celebration – Library of Congress
Sep 16-8:30am: Changing the Odds-Adult Learners – Wash DC
Sep 16-5:30pm: Literacy Leadership Awards – Library of Congress
Sep 26: National Book Festival National Mall – Wash DC

San Diego Co Library - The Benefit of One Another

The Benefit of One Another
Learn Alive: Aug/Sep 2009

Mother Theresa was often quoted as saying; “ Life is chiefly about service. “ My belief is such that she would be highly impressed with the ways LEARN subscribes to this ideal. I personally take this opportunity to say thank you to the committed staff at LEARN, to the brave learners and tutors, and to all those whose participation make literacy possible to each of us interested in the gift of continued LEARN-ing.

Name is Jayelle Sargent. My recent introduction to LEARN came at this period of my life which I jokingly remind my husband, who is seven years younger than I, “Lucky you darling…to witness this best chapter of my life’s drama. " Our four sons are grown, I recently retired from my career as an agent in the film industry, survived major health issues, and now I have the opportunity to choose how I will spend this last chapter. My love for libraries calls me to them, so it was a double delight when at the Encinitas Library, I read a LEARN flyer requesting volunteer tutors for literacy. Without hesitation, I called the Adult Literacy Program, signed up to attend a tutor training, and only then did I ask myself, “How in the world am I going to tutor English when I don’t remember many rules of grammar that I use out of habit.” My fears were quickly put to rest. By the close of the tutor training I had received the verbal support I needed, along with hands on materials to start this new adventure.

Several weeks later I received a call from the Literacy Center telling me there was a young woman interested in studying with a tutor. The appointment was set. Alicia and I met at the Encinitas Library on a Saturday, April 11, 2009. After we introduced ourselves to one another, I think the next thing I said was “You smell wonderful…I love your cologne.” How’s that for an icebreaker! READ MORE !

Centro Latino for Literacy - 10x10 Literacy Campaign

10x10 Literacy Campaign

Centro Latino will launch 10x10 Campaign at Press Conference on September 2.
Enroll 10,000 new literacy students by the end of 2010.

Press Conference Speakers:
Yolie Flores-Aguilar, VP LAUSD School Board-CEO,LA Co. Children's Planning Council
Jack Kyser, Kyser Center for Economic Research
Hector Tobar, Columnist, L.A. Times
John Kobara, COO, California Community Foundation
Mercedes Meza, literacy program graduate, Centro Latino for Literacy
Melanie Stephens, Executive Director, Centro Latino for Literacy

Centro Latino for Literacy's Adult Education Center
1721 W. 8th St
LA 90017

RSVP for the live press conference or for the webcast

Hemet Library - Woman Finds More Than Literacy Skills

Woman Finds More Than Literacy Skills
Valley Chronicle: Aug 14, 2009 by Valerie Drew

Every morning, Laurie Heber wakes up and looks at a small bee figurine sitting on her dresser. The figurine includes the words “Believe in yourself,” and thanks to Hemet Adult Literacy Services, Heber said she is learning exactly how to do that.

For Heber, self-esteem is an issue. “I’m still working on building it up,” she said.

Heber graduated from the Adult Learner Leadership Institute (ALLI) in July. The program, which meets one Saturday a month for six months, teaches adult learners life skills, such as self-esteem, networking, and public speaking through practical exercises. The institute is funded by California Library Literacy Services and was developed by Henry Huffman, an adult learner in Santa Clara County in the late 1980s. Huffman completed the reading program and went on to become a tutor. He was an advocate of literacy and formed ALLI so learners could take their reading and writing skills to the next level.

Heber said the exercises helped her to improve her self-esteem, speak in front of large audiences, and become a leader in her community. One of the exercises required Heber to make a speech in front of the other participants at ALLI. “I was so scared!” Heber said. “But I felt comfortable because I knew people in the group weren’t going to laugh at me.” Her speech was about winning the statewide Writer-to-Writer competition last year.

Story continues below ↓

Lori Eastman — the literacy coordinator for the adult literacy program, which is run through Hemet Public Library — said Heber wants to stay in the program so she can continue to improve.

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