Inside:
September 8th is
Coordinator Corner
International Literacy day!
Learner Stories
Literacy staff and volunteers will be at library branches promoting literacy and recruiting new volunteers and learners.
Programs & Events
Tutor an Adult in your community Adult literacy can change everything. Health. Gender equality. Poverty. Every important social issue is impacted by low literacy. When individuals learn how to read, write, do basic math, and use computers, they have the power to lift themselves out of poverty, lower health care costs, find and keep sustainable employment, and ultimately change their lives.
72 43
Children of parents with low literacy skills have a 72 percent chance of being at the lowest reading levels themselves. These children are more likely to get poor grades, display behavioral problems, have high absentee rates, repeat school years, or drop out.
Of adults with the lowest literacy levels, 43 percent live in poverty, and 70% of adult welfare recipients have low literacy levels. There is a clear correlation between more education and higher earnings, and between higher educational scores and higher earnings.
Every year, one in six young adults—more than 1.2 million—drop out of high school. Recent data show that nearly 30 percent of adults with household incomes at or below the federal poverty line do not have a high school credential. The key to financial success is a viable career path and adequate education to seek meaningful, familysupporting wages. The value to our economy in additional wages and the reduction in costs for various support programs is estimated at more than $200 billion a year.
Coordinator Corner
S
eptember is a time of transition as leaves start to change color and nights grow longer. September falls right after summer, where one lives gregariously from summers past; playing tag and hide-in-seek late into the night, shelving the alarm clock and the routines and vacationing to new places even if it means the backyard in a sleeping bag. As many of us settle ourselves and our children into routines, we start the fall with a fresh perspective. Collecting data on the literacy program and looking at our year in review, we have a lot to be proud of. Here are a few highlights from our year.
Robin Rafael
Literacy Supervisor and Volunteer Coordinator
Tutors Eighty-nine volunteer tutors and two GED instructors served 122 learners this year. Five
By the Numbers:
Top 5 learner goals and their progress*
Number of ESL students served this year
136
Number of Adult Learners served 122 Number of volunteer tutor hours
tutors and two contracted instructors taught ESL classes and study-lab to 136 ESL students and expanded library literacy services to serve Migrant Farm Worker Housing Centers in St. Helena and Yountville. Classes were additionally held at Pueblo Vista Elementary School and at the Napa County library. We know numbers only tell a fraction of the story. Tucked between the numbers are the stories we hear daily from tutors and learners about the progress that each pair is making. Learners who are reading at a level or two higher than when they started, earning job certificates, job promotions, and advocating at work and at school. In addition, there are the things one cannot measure like renewed confidence and feelings of increased selfworth. Thank you for a wonderful year and I look forward to 2017.�
2812
Tutors new this year 29 Tutors who have been with the program for 3+ years
21
Goal Completed goal Write a letter 21% Read a book/newspaper/magazine 31% Get a job or get a better job or promotion 28% Interact with the school/with teachers 50% Help children with homework 56% *Learners start at various times during the year and this chart reflects completed goals not goals in progress.
Learner stories
F
Voting by Rafael Solorio
orty years had passed to have the opportunity to vote in the presidential election. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to vote for the first time in my entire life. I couldn’t help feeling happiness knowing that for the first time my decision could make the difference in a great country. Thanks to that vote, the course of this great nation can change in a better way. All of the people living in this country at the same time, I know in some way to help my people, my people who have not the same privilege that I have being a resident and now a citizen of this great nation.
It would be very sad and painful to see how thousands of families can be separated, destroyed or be deported for not having a legal status in this country. It would be very sad to see how this great nation is halved, or divided only by a character that has money, power, fame and the opportunity to run a country but lacks heart and good feelings toward others. I’m sure that my vote can avoid all this happening, instead we can build bridges to a country of brotherhood, unity, peace, progress and love to everyone living in this beautiful country. Unfortunately I couldn’t do the same for my country of birth. Since the time I
lived there I was not eligible to vote because of age. I couldn’t vote and contribute to make a positive change for Mexico. It is a great nation, but unfortunately the Mexican government counts the votes according to interest of their own political parties. Sometimes I notice, and it’s sad, but true, the Mexican government manipulates elections and everything. It is a mess and a shame because Mexico is a great country, great people, beautiful. It is rich in culture, tradition, beliefs and has a great nature. Unites States is different. Its system of government is more credible and reliable. They open doors for me to come here and make this country my second home.”
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Napa County Library, County of Napa or other affiliated agencies.
accomplish it, and hundreds of our teens and young adults in Napa and around California have done it. But this was done by a homemaker at almost 40 years of age, a full time mother of six children and a wife with a part time job. And if this were not enough, let’s add in the hours of classes and dedicated study time that’s required to prepare for all four subjects of the GED- language arts, social studies, science and mathematics. We know this accomplishment is not easy for a house wife, mother and part time employee. Congratulations to Ana Alvarez on In addition, she had not passing her GED! held pencil and paper in a very long time. What I mean The accompanying story is written about Ana by to say, she needed to bring Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez who teaches the Spanish back to the surface the skills GED Class. she acquired, but had not used in many years; such as, study habits, self-respect, and the ast Thursday, I went to Ana most important, to gain self-esteem. The Alvarez’s graduation. Ana, who success in Ana’s case is simple, she attended a little bit more than a year the class 90 % of the time, she was punctual, of study, dedication, effort, she studied lesson by lesson, did homework, discipline and commitment participated in class and had a good attitude accomplished her objective: toward team work. She found the key to the goal was to simply obtain the certificate success in her tenacity to get back into equivalent to the high school diploma. She studying after 10 years. now has in her possession that certificate At the same time, regardless of the acknowledging her, as a person with the above, it is necessary to add that she skills set as a high school graduate. Perhaps, attended classes accompanied by her two for many of us this is irrelevant, anyone can
L
beautiful little girls, a two year old and a four year old. Before coming to class, Ana would take the girls to a dance class. She would be seen pushing the stroller carrying her two beautiful ballerinas, dressed and equipped with all the necessary items to keep them busy and content while she attended the class. Certainly these two girls and her other children are the motivation behind Ana’s personal growth. Nevertheless, we should acknowledge the importance that the Literacy Center and the Napa County Library offers by providing instruction and the space for people like Ana to come and take advantage of the opportunities. Here we have the physical and human infrastructure suitable for preparing people interested in success with the GED in Spanish. Above all, this is a friendly place, where we can receive the support with text books and a classroom equipped with all the resources necessary to teach the GED in Spanish as well as other services such as; ESL classes and tutoring one-on-one. Without a doubt the literacy center and the Napa County Library are a factor for all those interested in getting ready, not only to pass the GED, but also to improve their English skills and move on to college and improve their way of living. We can see that to achieve personal success, all these instructional aspects come together, so we must express our joy for what has been achieved and congratulate the people and infrastructure that makes these occurrences possible.”
Learner in the News
special events & Programs Literacy’s Annual Tutor Appreciation Celebration
Day of the Dead Crafts
Saturday, September 10, 6:30 - 9 pm Napa Main Library Tutors, Learners, special guests and their families are all welcome. Music will be provided by Trio Solea. RSVP 253-4283 or 253-4610.
Lunch with literacy
Congratulations to Gemma Mejia! She passed her Phlebotomy class and the state boards.
Tuesday, September 13, 12 - 1:30pm American Canyon Library Tuesday, November 15, 12 - 1:30pm Yountville Library
Tuesday, November 1, 3 - 4:30 pm We will be creating sugar skulls and mini alters. Located at the American Canyon Library.
CLASSES ESL
(Fridays) September 9 - December 9 10 am-12 pm Practice speaking and listening skills!
Spanish GED
(Tuesdays & Thursdays) September 6-November 29, 6 - 8pm Review reading, writing, math and computer concepts in preparation for taking the GED.
Book Group
Every month, 6 -7 pm We will be reading abridged versions of classic works of literature. Stop by the Literacy Center to grab a copy. Join us for pizza and discussion on September 29, October 27 and November 17 .
September 29 (The Grapes of Wrath) October 27 (Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde) November 17 (The Jungle Book)
Countyofnapa.org/library/COHS/
Literacy Center HOURS MONDAY - THURSDAY 10AM - 9PM FRIDAY & SATURDAY 10AM - 6PM
¿Conoce a alguien que quiere aprender a leer y escribir? Leamos is a simple and easy-to-use online Spanish literacy course that teaches non-literate Spanish speaking adults to read and write in Spanish. If you know someone who cannot read or write in Spanish, contact Karime at 2534237 for more information.
Leamos™ es un curso de alfabetización que enseña a los adultos a leer y escribir en línea con la asistencia de un tutor.
Contact Us!
707-253-4237
ROBIN RAFAEL
robin.rafael@countyofnapa.org
NICOLE THOMAS
nicole.thomas@countyofnapa.org
www.napalibrary.org/Literacy 580 Coombs St. Napa, CA 94559
KARIME JACOBO
karime.jacobo@countyofnapa.org