More than 36 million adults in the United States lack basic literacy skills. In fact, according to the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, 54% of adults struggle to read, write, and comprehend, impacting their daily lives.
“This crisis affects all of us — lying at the core of the multigenerational cycles of poverty, poor health, and low educational attainment that impact our families, businesses, communities, and our nation as a whole” — the Barbara Bush Foundation.
The AACLC’s programs address adult literacy needs in Anne Arundel County. To see what literacy looks like in our communities, Maryland, and surrounding areas, visit the Barbara Bush Foundation’s Literacy Gap Map.
Low Literacy Costs Money!
“Adult literacy can change everything.” We could save an estimated $106 – $238 billion a year in healthcare costs if we eliminated low adult literacy in the United States. Get more facts on adult literacy at https://www.proliteracy.org/Adult-Literacy-Facts.
Thank you to the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County (CFAAC) and the Pittman administration for supporting the Literacy Council with a grant from the Community Crisis Response Fund. This award will help us sustain our free, individualized adult education programs for low-income adults in Anne Arundel County.
Forty-two nonprofits received grant awards to address critical needs identified in CFAAC’s 2022 Community Needs Assessment Report, Poverty Amidst Plenty. To learn more about the report, visit
CFAAC’s website. Read the county’s grant awards press release
here.
Access the Teacher Training Plus Project on ProLiteracy’s Website
Continue your tutor training by participating in free webinars for trained tutors. This resource from ProLiteracy provides best-practice instructional strategies. Four training areas are offered: Basic Literacy Instruction, English Language Learning, HSE Instruction, and Using Published Materials.
Webinars are about an hour long, and in follow-up, optional small-group coaching is available, as well as handouts and slide presentations. Webinars in each area are listed by date, and past webinars are also available for viewing.
Tutors must log in to their ProLiteracy account to access the webinars. Please let Wendy or Jane know if you need the Literacy Council’s membership number when creating an account.
Teacher Training Plus Classes in April, 2023:
Recent Teacher Training Plus Classes
To access these, click on your subject area of interest on the
Teacher Training Plus page and scroll to the bottom to see links to recordings of past webinars.
Pick Your Battles: Best Practices for Helping Students with Pronunciation (ESL Training), January 17
Effective Strategies for Teaching Writing to Basic Literacy Adult Learners (Basic Literacy), January 26
On March 4, to celebrate National Reading Month, we attended Severna Park Tutoring & Educational Advocacy‘s community literacy event to spread the word about our work with adults and to receive donated children’s books for our book fair. Thank you, Severna Park Tutoring!
National Reading Month
I hope you are enjoying a good book this National Reading Month. My most recent reading pleasure has been Agent Josephine by Damien Lewis, about the courageous work of glamorous superstar Josephine Baker as a spy during World War II. Reading has always been one of my favorite pastimes. It inspired me to sign up to volunteer with the Literacy Council in 2017.
Of course, the AACLC does much more than teach reading. We also offer ESL, math, diploma, ASVAB preparation tutoring, and more. There is a great need for these services in our county. Read this month’s newsletter for news on local support for our services and statistics on adult literacy.
Why did you and your student get involved with the Literacy Council? What books or stories are you reading? We would love to know!
Many thanks,
Jane
P.S. We update this list of community resources as we get new information: Community Resources 2023
Jane Seiss, Executive Director
Anne Arundel County Literacy Council
Black History Month • Valentine’s Day
We are looking forward to a spring New Tutor Training session on March 25 (
CLICK HERE for details) — please
email us to sign up. But, before that, we have some announcements and celebrations to enjoy this month. They’re listed below with links to more information elsewhere in this website.
Happy Valentine’s Day & Happy Black History Month,
Jane
Jane Seiss, Executive Director
Anne Arundel County Literacy Council
Congratulations to Literacy Council student Kelly G. who worked diligently with her tutor Frank Mackowick to study for the ASVAB. The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a multiple-aptitude battery that measures developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success in the military. It is administered annually to more than one million military applicants, high school, and post-secondary students.
Kelly passed the test with a great score, opening a path to excellent opportunities with the U.S. Army. Kelly is now getting ready for basic training, and Frank has just begun tutoring another student in preparation for acceptance into the military.
