NORWICH – Literacy Volunteers of Chenango County is hoping to raise the numbers of student learners, as well as the number of persons interested in being trained to become tutors.
In order to increase the numbers of students and tutors, it is important to raise awareness that this service exists, provided at no cost to students.
Approximately 4,000 people are functionally illiterate in Chenango County. The primary goal of Literacy Volunteers of Chenango County (LVCC) is working to effect change in the lives of individuals and beyond that, for their lives and increased productivity and contributions to have a positive impact on their families and the community.
Approximately 42 percent of the adults in the county have some type of challenge with basic reading, writing, math or computer literacy skills. Definite connections between illiteracy and poverty exist, which is why such a focus on helping adults in the county is in place to help adults gain these important skills. Students (learners) are living at or blow the poverty level, and they often have several barriers. These barriers include transportation and childcare, to name a few.
Meeting in a public place that is agreed on by the tutor and student when they meet is one of the very first things that has to be decided. Literacy is one of the main predictors of employment and income. The nine public libraries in the county encourage literacy in various ways, including reading hours for children and offering materials at different reading levels.
The positive impact on adults once these skills are gained enables them to find and keep better paying jobs, improve their health and be more actively involved in the education of their own children. New or increased skill levels help them to dream big, do more, and move forward. As a result of this, society can move forward too.
Many LVCC students are self-referrals, or are referred by community partners including CDO Workforce, Office of Employment and Training, and DCMO BOCES Adult Education/GED Program, to name several. Any person age 16 or older who is not in school, with literacy levels below the eighth grade level, is eligible to receive the services provided by this program, reading, math, and writing skills instruction.
LVCC also provides help with pre-GED classes, computer classes, and English for speakers of other languages. In most cases, this is done in a one-on-one setting, with the student and the tutor being present. The tutor is there to assist the student in grasping the material, but the student is the one who must complete the assignments in order to achieve success.
Students must first reach skill levels on the TABE (Test of Adult Basic Education) before moving on to pre-TASC(GED) and TASC(GED) instruction levels. Students who have completed the LVCC program have gone on to TASC level instruction, and successfully completed the TASC (Test Assessing Secondary Completion). Also, students have gone on to obtain employment or better jobs than they had before gaining skills which qualified them for thier new jobs.
LVCC must work with other agencies in order to help students reach the greatest gain, both in skill levels, as well as employment and independent living opportunities.
For more information, contact Elen Hurtubise, program director at LVCC. The phone number is 607-334-7114, in the Opportunities for Chenango Inc. building, located at 44 W. Main St.
LVCC looks forward to hearing from persons in Chenango County if they or someone they know is interested in its program and could benefit from its program’s services.