Dakota County Newsletter - Fall/Winter 2025 - A team approach to literacy

Programs help youth and adults in justice system

Education doesn’t just happen in a traditional classroom. Dakota County Library, Community Corrections and Sheriff’s Office work together to promote literacy.

The partnership gives access to books, enhances writing skills and creates learning opportunities for adults and youth in the justice system.

At the Dakota County Jail, inmates can learn at early literacy workshops or a book group focused on adult literacy. Teens can access reading and educational help at the Juvenile Services Center. These programs give access to resources new to many participants.

Introduced in 2014, workshops provide adults useful activities to help build literacy skills with their own children. The program focuses on the five important practices of early literacy — talking, singing, playing, reading and writing. In 2024, library staff held seven workshops with 102 people.

In the workshops, library staff offer caregivers guidance and skills to support the development of young readers. Participants share stories about their children and reflect on how their actions as adults impact the lives of their kids. Sessions can get emotional.

In 2024, the library partnered with the Great Rivers Adult Education Consortium to create a book group to improve adult reading skills. This group combines a traditional book club with opportunity to self-reflect and to improve writing skills. The group uses art projects, reading aloud, short stories and poems linked to book themes, music and discussion. Library staff motivate participants to share what they feel comfortable with and create an environment for growth.

The library works with New Chance and Riverside schools at the Juvenile Services Center on a program focused on reading and literacy. The program provides general and special education courses for youth ages 12–18. The youth can be in court-ordered day treatment programs or in the secure facility.

Library staff provide books, Summer Discovery materials and resources to help teachers. In 2024, library staff visited the center 40 times. Residents borrowed more than 650 books.

The program encourages teens to read and teaches them that reading goes beyond school assignments. Students find new reading materials and research topics that interest them. They also learn important life skills, such as how to write a resume and use job websites.

All three literacy programs are making a positive difference for participants.