Last year was an incredible one for Literacy Connections in service delivery and in organizational growth. We served 28% more adult learners and trained 27% more volunteers as tutors than in the year before. We expanded our adult basic literacy and ESL tutoring to include correctional facilities and transitional programs/institutions. Basic literacy and ESL classes are currently being offered at Fishkill Correctional facility, Dutchess County Jail and several transitional programs. This basic literacy program incorporates life skills that provide vital connections and learning opportunities for students in transition. In addition, our Book Buddies program has expanded to Orange County thanks to a generous private donation and United Way of
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Capacity building is also integrated into the agency’s strategic plan and includes developing mission-focused communication, enhancing outreach and networking effectiveness, training staff and volunteers with efficient learning techniques and technology to provide quality programs, increase accountability and promote positive measured outcomes.
Literary Connections mission is to help people to read, write, and reach their potential, but it does not stop there. We are slowly restructuring our programs to ensure students are also taught life skills that will equip them to get jobs or better jobs and to become self-sufficient. To accomplish this, we offer more technology-based learning. Computer literacy is being introduced more and more into the students’ individual education plan (IEP) and students are encouraged to independently use the learning software in our student lab to further enhance their learning. In addition, we will be adding digital literacy tutors who will also be offering separate workshops on a variety of topics relevant to our students’ interests and needs. …show more content…
Our resolve, however, to continue to provide basic literacy and ESL instruction in the area is unbroken – especially now that literacy programs and services in Columbia/Greene Counties have been so severely cut.
On the upside, NYS Education Department awarded the Hudson Valley Literacy Consortium a three-year contract with Literacy Connections as the lead agency.
In spite of all the external changes in adult literacy, we have been able to successfully sustain and expand our programs even with limited funding because we believe that our students deserve the opportunity to realize their dreams and build better futures. Thanks to the Dyson Foundation many have and are on their way to achieving the American dream.
Thanks to the help of hundreds of dedicated volunteers, the strong partnerships we have developed within the community, we will continue to help students begin new chapters in their lives by providing the basic reading and English language instruction they need. Our growth this year has been phenomenal. Our programs -- even in these challenging times of eroding funding and shrinking staff resources -- continue to expand and evolve to meet the changing needs of the
Capacity building is also integrated into the agency’s strategic plan and includes developing mission-focused communication, enhancing outreach and networking effectiveness, training staff and volunteers with efficient learning techniques and technology to provide quality programs, increase accountability and promote positive measured outcomes.
Literary Connections mission is to help people to read, write, and reach their potential, but it does not stop there. We are slowly restructuring our programs to ensure students are also taught life skills that will equip them to get jobs or better jobs and to become self-sufficient. To accomplish this, we offer more technology-based learning. Computer literacy is being introduced more and more into the students’ individual education plan (IEP) and students are encouraged to independently use the learning software in our student lab to further enhance their learning. In addition, we will be adding digital literacy tutors who will also be offering separate workshops on a variety of topics relevant to our students’ interests and needs. …show more content…
Our resolve, however, to continue to provide basic literacy and ESL instruction in the area is unbroken – especially now that literacy programs and services in Columbia/Greene Counties have been so severely cut.
On the upside, NYS Education Department awarded the Hudson Valley Literacy Consortium a three-year contract with Literacy Connections as the lead agency.
In spite of all the external changes in adult literacy, we have been able to successfully sustain and expand our programs even with limited funding because we believe that our students deserve the opportunity to realize their dreams and build better futures. Thanks to the Dyson Foundation many have and are on their way to achieving the American dream.
Thanks to the help of hundreds of dedicated volunteers, the strong partnerships we have developed within the community, we will continue to help students begin new chapters in their lives by providing the basic reading and English language instruction they need. Our growth this year has been phenomenal. Our programs -- even in these challenging times of eroding funding and shrinking staff resources -- continue to expand and evolve to meet the changing needs of the