Literacy Program Teaches the Whole Family

LITERACY IS A GROWING CONCERN IN FLORIDA, NOT JUST FOR STUDENTS BUT ADULTS AS WELL. ACCORDING TO WORLD POPULATION REVIEW, NEARLY 20% OF ADULT FLORIDIANS, WHICH IS ABOUT 3 MILLION RESIDENTS LACK BASIC LITERACY SKILLS AND STRUGGLE WITH READING ACQUIRING ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS, ESPECIALLY CHALLENGING FOR NON NATIVE FAMILIES. ONE LOCAL GROUP IS ADDRESSING THIS CONCERN OFFERING MULTIPLE PROGRAMS TO REACH OUT TO LOW INCOME IMMIGRANT FAMILIES AND MEMBERS OF THE WORKFORCE. WE ARE NOW JOINED BY DOCTOR LEE, A MASON, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE LITERACY COUNCIL GULF COAST AND DOCTOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US IN STUDIO TODAY. ABSOLUTELY. IT'S A PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. NOW YOUR ORGANIZATION AND TEACHES LITERACY BUT NOT IN A TRADITIONAL SENSE. WE NORMALLY THINK OF KIDS LEARNING TO READ, BUT YOU TAKE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH. CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FAMILY INITIATIVE? >> SURE. HAVE THE LITERACY COUNCIL GULF COAST REALLY FOCUSES ON ADULT AND FAMILY AND CHILDREN. BUT WE REALLY DO FOCUS A LOT ON MORE ADULTS AND FAMILIES AS A WHOLE. AND AND REALLY WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IS TEACHING THE WHOLE FAMILY APPROACH WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT? BECAUSE REALLY LITERACY STARTS IN THE HOME AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT LITERACY, IF YOU'RE MOM OR DAD, YOU KNOW, STRUGGLE WITH A READING SENSE, HOW HOW CAN YOU REALLY HELP YOUR CHILD LEARN? SO WE LOOK AT THAT AS HELPING THE ADULT LEARN CAN REALLY HELP YOUR CHILD. >> SO HOW DO YOU WHAT'S THE PROCESS THAT YOU USE? >> SO WHEN AN ADULT STRUGGLES TO READ TO, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE REALLY STILL HAVE TO START FROM THE BASICS. AND, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE WHEN YOU'RE TEACHING YOUR CHILD TO LEARN TO READ, I THINK YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT FROM AN ADULT PERSPECTIVE, TOO. YOU KNOW, JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE TEACHING ADULT TO LEARN TO READ DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN'T START FROM THE BEGINNING. YOU KNOW, I THINK WHEN YOU'RE FOCUSING ON READING, YOU HAVE TO STILL. KIND OF GO BACK WITH YOUR BASIC FUNDAMENTALS FROM PHONICS TO, YOU KNOW, READING YOUR FIRST LETTER IS THE SAME THING IS TEACHING ADULTERY, TOO. SO YOU HAVE TO KIND OF LOOK AT READING. TEACHING ADULT HOW TO READ, KIND OF LIKE YOU'RE TEACHING A CHILD TO READ, TOO. IT'S THE SAME PROCESS OR THE OPPOR. >> TO TEASE FOR ADULTS. IS IT IN THE EVENING AFTER THEY'RE FINISHED WITH THEIR WORK DAY? IF THAT ISN'T AN OPPORTUNITY AS WELL? WE ALSO HAVE DAYTIME CLASSES MORNING CLASSES AS WELL. SO WE THEY CAN COME IN, LEARN ALL DAY EVERY DAY. >> ARE YOU SURPRISED AT HOW MANY PEOPLE STRUGGLE WITH LITERACY? YES. >> YES, TO JUST TO CLEAN ONE IN 4 ADULTS STILL STRUGGLE TO READ. >> SO YOU ALSO OFFER A WORK SITE LITERACY PROGRAM. AND HOW DOES THAT WORK AND WHO ARE YOU REACHING? >> THROUGH THAT? SURE, YES. OR WORK SITE LITERACY PROGRAM IS REACHING THE COMMUNITY AND ALL THE WORK WORKFORCE OUT OUTSIDE IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO WE'RE BRINGING OUR PROGRAM 2, THE WORK WORKFORCE. SO OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE GOING OUT TO THE WORKERS. SO WE BRING OUR PROGRAM OUT OUT TO THEM. SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS OUR CURRICULUM GOES INTO THE SITE. SO THE AND THE AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS THEY'RE TAKING TIME OUT OF THEIR DAY. IF THE EMPLOYERS ARE ALLOWING IT, WHICH MOST OF THEM DO AND THEY SIT DOWN AND THE VOLUNTEERS ARE TAKING THE TIME AND DOING THE CURRICULUM. AND THERE TEACHING THEM ENGLISH LANGUAGE, LEARNING SKILLS A SIGHT WORDS THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO WHAT THEY'RE DOING OUT THERE AND LITERACY SKILLS SPECIFIC TO THEIR JOBS SO THEY CAN ADVANCE AT THEIR WORK, HELP THEIR FAMILIES IN EVERYTHING THAT TOO, HOPEFULLY EMPLOYEE RETENTION AND EVERYTHING THAT WILL GIVE THEM THE CONFIDENCE TO BE BETTER AT THEIR JOB. >> NOW YOUR NONPROFIT IS PHYSICALLY LOCATED IN BONITA SPRINGS. YES, BUT WHAT KIND WORKPLACES ARE LETTING YOU COME IN TO HELP TRAIN THEIR WORKERS IN LITERACY? SO WE HAVE DIFFERENT SITES THAT WE HAVE OUR PROGRAM AT PINE MANOR COMMUNITY CENTER. WE ARE AT SUNDIAL RESORT. WE'RE AT THE NATIONAL. WE'RE AT BENTLEY VILLAGE. WE ARE AT CYPRESS COVE. >> AND WE'RE IN THE GOODWILL INDUSTRIES. THAT'S JUST TO NAME A FEW. >> THAT'S WONDERFUL. SO REALLY ALL OVER SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, YES. >> WHAT ARE THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THOSE THAT YOU SERVE? MANY OF OUR DEMOGRAPHICS THAT WE SERVE ARE LOW INCOME AND IMMIGRANT FAMILIES. >> THAT WE SERVE IN OUR AREA. WHAT KIND OF CHANGES TO SEE >> IN IN THE PEOPLE THAT SUCCEED AND THESE PROGRAMS AND MOST CHANGES THAT I SEE OUR CONFIDENCE. >> BUILDING CHANGES THEY CAN SPEAK TO THEIR CHILDREN'S TEACHER. THEY CAN TALK TO THE DOCTOR WITHOUT A TRANSLATOR. THEY CAN. THEY'RE GETTING GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT. THEY'RE FILLING OUT A JOB APPLICATION. WITHOUT USING THE TRANSLATION THEY'RE JUST MORE CONFIDENT IN THE WORKPLACE. THEY'RE CONFIDENT IN THE COMMUNITY. THEY'RE GOING TO THE GROCERY STORE. WITH FOULED. HAVING ANY PROBLEM WITH MONEY. I MEAN, IT'S JUST THE SIMPLE THINGS THAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED EVERY DAY. >> WONDERFUL. THANK YOU FOR SHARING MISINFORMATION. I'D LOVE IT. I THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT. DR MAY SAID YES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.