MAKING A DIFFERENCE : Families For Literacy: Reading for the Next Generation

Low literacy skills can limit opportunity for both adults and their children.

Families for Literacy, a state- funded program offered through the County of Los Angeles Public Library, teaches reading to adults by linking it to their roles as caregivers to young children.

* Proportion of California adults who have difficulty reading and understanding a paragraph or trouble reading a street map: 1 in 4

* Odds that their children have more reading and writing problems than their peers: 2 to 1

* California workers in manual labor, assembly or farming related jobs who have the lowest reading skills or none at all: 50%

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

*

Adult participants meet weekly with a volunteer tutor for a one- on- one lesson. They receive free literacy packets each month with a children’s book and suggestions for read- at- home and library- oriented activities with their families. In the past two years 1 ,300 parents, grandparents and other care- givers in Los Angeles County have participated.

Case Study: Families for Literacy participant Mary Helen Espinoza made her way through most of her life with minimal reading skills. One of 15 children, she dropped out of school at age 12 to work with her family harvesting crops. She married and raised six children, taking care to ensure that each learned to read. Five years ago, the word “illiteracy” on a poster caught her eye. After her husband explained what the word meant, Mary Helen called the contact number listed and began her literacy education. Today the 54-year-old new reader is a VISTA volunteer who assists the Families for Literacy Program by working with Head Start parents in literacy workshops. VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) has 4,000 volunteers serving urban and rural communities in 50 states. *

Highlights from the first year:

January-March

Espinoza enrolls in Families for Literacy program through Los Angeles County’s Baldwin Park Library and is matched with tutor Frances Popperwell. Espinoza also takes her four young grandchildren to the library each Saturday.

April-June

Espinoza gives Peter, her youngest grandchild, a library card for his birthday in April; she is able to read well enough to fill out the application on her own. Each week they check out library books and read them at home. She also starts to learn how to read portions of the daily newspaper.

July-September

While Espinoza is on a train trip to visit her father during the summer her luggage is lost. She is able to write a letter to explain her claim. Espinoza, who has never voted, works with her tutor to learn about voting and how to read a ballot.

October-December

Each day Espinoza and her grandchildren set aside time to work on their homework and read together. She is able to help them with their assignments and to write notes to the school and the children’s teachers as needed.

“When I couldn’t read, I felt like a shell all closed up. Now I can read and I am opening up to the world. The program is important to my family because we read to each other and we talk about books. It can help families to unite. I am very proud also that I know how to vote and I’ll always vote. I won’t be satisfied until I get my GED and learn computer skills. So I keep telling myself, patience is golden.”-- Mary Helen Espinoza

TO GET INVOLVED

There are more than 700 literacy programs throughout Southern California. Call 1-800-707-7323.