e-Literacy News
 
A Publication of Florida's Adult and Family Literacy Resource Center
Florida Literacy Coalition, Inc.                                                                                                                            Fall 2010
In This Issue
  
FLC Releases New ESOL Curricula on Women's Health and Coping With Stress
 
FLC Offers New Social Services Directory
 
National Health Literacy Action Plan Released
 
Legislative Update
Promising Practices in Adult Literacy
 
27th Annual Florida Literacy Conference Call For Presenters
 
Volunteering in America Report Released
 
Social Networking for Non-Profit Organizations
 
Upcoming FLC Trainings
 
FLC Welcomes New Staff
 
Funding Sources
 
Dollar General Waiting List Reduction Grant.  Dollar General Literacy Foundation Waiting List Reduction Grants provide funding to adult literacy organziations to address student waiting list reduction efforts.  Deadline for submission is Sept. 30, 2010. 
 
Better World Books/NCFL Libraries and Families Award.  Applications are now being accepted for the national Better World Books/NCFL Libraries and Families Award.  Three winning libraries will be awarded $10,000 in grants to recognize their exceptional family programming.  One winner will be chosen from each of the following categories: local Friends of the Library programs; public/academic libraries, and urban libraries.  Application deadline is midnight, Nov. 12, 2010. 
 
TJX Foundation.  The TJX Foundation supports programs that provide academic and vocational opportunities for the disadvantaged, including early-intervention programs, mentoring, tutoring, GED and college coursework, as well as programs that teach people to speak, read and write in English.  Deadline for submission is Oct. 20, 2010. 
 
Gulf Power Foundation.  The Gulf Power Foundation supports nonprofit organizatons that improve the quality of life in the communities that Gulf Power Company services in Northwest Florida.  The next application deadline is Nov. 15, 2010.
 
Literacy Resources
 
This free citizenship study guide prepares students for the U.S. citizenship test with quizzes, flashcards and other practice exercises.  The guide provides more than 100 sample test questions taken from the government's master list and provides the answers. 
 
BookLamp.org matches readers to books through an analysis of preferred writing styles.  BookLamp allows you to enter the name of a book you enjoyed, and will then provide you with a list of books with a similar level of tone, tense, perspective, action, description and dialog.
 
BBC Learning English - Get That Job!  This site is full of activities and quizzes to build on a student's knowledge of career-related vocabulary.  It also offers tips in areas including resume writing and job interviewing. 
 
Searcher in Charge Health Information: Health Search for Consumers.  This website is a series of health literacy-related videos that provides easy-to-find basic health information. 
 
Upcoming Events
 
Sept. 8 - In celebration of International Literacy Day, the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, along with multiple reading and literacy partners, will host a Literacy Month celebration at Maclay Gardens State Park at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 8.  You are invited to attend and participate in the fun, family-oriented activities.  For more information contact Hue Reynolds at (850) 245-9670.
 
Sept. 10 & 11 - Citrus County Library System is commemorating Literacy Month & National Library Card Sign-Up Month by partnering with the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, and having volunteers from CCLS’s Adult Literacy Education Program present at the park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 10, and Saturday, Sept. 11, to register park visitors for free library cards.
 
Sept. 15: Mayors' Literacy Luncheon.  Mayors from 38 municipalities in Palm Beach County are invited to participate in the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County's Mayors' Literacy Luncheon to elevate literacy as a key priority in their city. 
 
Sept. 18: Literacy Volunteers of Lee County ESL Tutor Training.  Learn to tutor an adult for whom English is a second language.  There is a $30 charge to cover the cost of books.  Pre-register by calling the LVLC office at (239) 415-3621. 
 
Sept. 25: Palm Beach Literacy Council Tutor Training.  This course will prepare volunteers to work with adult literacy students.  Upon completion, tutors will be referred to community agencies and matched with individuals seeking assistance.  A $5 registration fee covers the class workbook.  For more information call 1-800-273-1030. 
 
Oct. 24-29: American Association for Adult and Continuing Education Conference: Leading and Learning; Meeting Today's Challenges.  Concurrent sessions include community education, workforce development, health education, adult learning and international adult education.  The conference will be held in Clearwater Beach, Fla. 
 
For additional Literacy Month activities, as well as all other upcoming events, visit the FLC calendar.   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
e-Literacy News is a publication of Florida's Adult and Family Literacy Resource Center, a program of the Florida Literacy Coalition.  It is made possible through the support of the Florida Department of Education, Division of Career and Adult Education.
September is Florida Adult &
Family Literacy Month
Governor Crist Issues Literacy Month Proclamation
September 8th is International Literacy Day, and Florida Governor Charlie Crist has again extended his support by signing a proclamation recognizing September as Florida Adult and Family Literacy Month. 
 
The Florida Literacy Coalition is again partnering with the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Parks Service to recognize and celebrate this worthy cause.  However, we've added an extra element to the partnership this year - five regional community events to promote adult and family literacy.  These events will take place at state parks in Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Apopka, Sarasota and Hobe Sound.  The events are being organized by local planning committees comprised of area adult education and literacy programs, libraries, the parks and other community stakeholders.  Click here for more information on the events.
 
We encourage you to participate in one of these events or coordinate an activity within your own community to celebrate Literacy Month.  Keep an eye on the FLC website for additional event details and literacy month information. 
 
Also, the Florida State Parks will be celebrating literacy by offering free admission Sept. 10-12, when visitors present a library card, library book or donate a new book at the park.  More information can be found online here. 
 
FLC Releases New ESOL Curricula on Women's Health and Coping With Stress
Through the generous support of the Florida Department of Education, the Florida Literacy Coalition is pleased to make available two new health literacy student resource books, each with a corresponding teachers's guide.
 
These publications compliment FLC's Staying Healthy curricula by focusing on two issue areas identified by teachers and students as topics of interest. 
 
The Women’s Health resource covers topics including menstruation, menopause, pregnancy, childbirth, breast and reproductive cancer, sexually transmitted infections and domestic abuse. The Coping with Stress supplement covers stress, the effects of stress on the body and healthy ways to manage one’s stress.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FLC Offers New Social Services Directory
FLC has developed a new Social Services Directory which provides information about a wide variety of state and regional social service, education and consumer service programs.  Over 260 agencies and organizations are represented in 25 service areas. 
 
Teachers and tutors are encouraged to share this directory with students and integrate this tool into their instruction.  It can be a great resource for EL Civics. 
 
This directory was made possible through the support of the Florida Department of Education, Division of Career and Adult Education.  Special thanks to Florida Division of Consumer Services for providing agency/program information.
 
National Health Literacy Action
Plan Released 
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently released the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy, a call to action seeking to bring together a wide range of stakeholders to improve health literacy.
 
The plan is based on the principles that:
  1. everyone has the right to health information that helps them make informed decisions
  2. health services should be delivered in ways that are understandable and beneficial to health, longevity and quality of life

The report cites adult education and English language providers as important partners in the plan's implementation. 

Legislative Update
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee has approved FY2011 funding for adult education at the same level that was included in the President's budget submission to Congress in early February.  This bill will provide funding for the states in the grant awards which will be received in July 2011.  The full House Appropriations Committee has not yet acted on the budget, but it is generally expected that the House version will be similar to that of the Senate. 

Promising Practices in Adult Literacy
In an effort to encourage sharing what works in adult education and literacy, Florida's Adult and Family Literacy Resource Center is pleased to share five new Promising Practices reflecting successful and innovative strategies in the field. 
  1. Workplace ESOL Conversation Classes; Literacy Council of Sarasota
  2. Volunteer Literacy Tutor Training (a model for start-up programs); Citrus County Library System Adult Literacy Program
  3. Adult Learner Mentor & Orientation Program; Lake County Library System Adult Learner Program
  4. Adult Literacy Instruction with Motheread; Orlando Tech Adult & Community Center
  5. Adult Literacy Blogs; Literacy Council of Manatee and Florida Literacy Coalition

Read more

27th Annual Florida Literacy Conference
Call For Presenters
Orlando Marriott Lake Mary, Lake Mary, FL
May 4-6, 2011
Do you have something to share with Florida's literacy practitioners?  We are now accepting proposals for workshop presentations and invite you to take this opportunity to share your knowledge and showcase your programs.
 
Click here to access the form and submit your proposal by midnight, Thursday, December 16, 2011.
 
Also, remember that planning ahead pays off with discounts!  Early birds should be on the look out for registration to begin in November. 
 
The latest  in Conference news will be posted on the FLC website and the FLC blog.  Additional details about registration, sponsorships, exhibits and more will be available soon!
 
Volunteering in America Report Released
Florida Ranks 47th in Volunteering
The Corporation for Community Service (CNCS) recently released Volunteering in America 2010, a study of local, state and national trends in volunteering.  The report showed the largest increase in volunteering since 2003.  
 
This year's report proved significant in gauging volunteerism during harsh economic times.  CNCS surprisingly found that 63.4 million adults donated their time to charitable causes.  This was a significant increase of 1.6 million volunteers, which is the largest single-year increase since 2003.  The effects of such growth were seen in social-service charities, which accounted for 8.8 million volunteers in 2009. 
 
In Florida, approximately 3.3 million volunteers contributed 516 million hours of service.  In 2009, more than 74,000 participated in national service through 173 national projects and programs in Florida.  The majority of volunteers in Florida spent their time either with faith-based or educational organizations, accounting for 60 percent of the volunteer work.  Fundraising was the number-one activity for volunteers, followed by food collection/distribution.  Tutoring and teaching, however, fell down the list accounting for just 15 percent. 
 
Read more
 
Social Networking for Non-Profit Organizations 
With the popularity of websites like Facebook, Twitter, blogs and more, non-profits are finding it easier to spread their messages and reach more people.  However, the way entities use these social networking tools may define how much benefit they will provide.  According to a recent survey conducted by Idealware, a software company specializing in non-profits, organizations are using social networking tools to achieve three main objectives:
  1. enhance existing relationships
  2. reach new (potential) supporters
  3. fundraising
Read more
 
Upcoming FLC Trainings
FLC is currently accepting registrations for two upcoming trainings. 
  1. Sept. 22, Dr. Betsy Stoutmorrill, will lead a virtual tutor/teacher training on Identifing and Solving Reading Error Patterns.  For more information on the training and to register, click here. 
  2. Oct. 15-16, FLC will host it's annual Literacy Ambassador Program in Indian Rocks Beach, Fla.  This dynamic workshop prepares adult learners to become effective advocates and spokespeople for their organizations, and the adult literacy cause.  Register today!
FLC Welcomes New Staff
The Florida Literacy Coalition extends a special thanks to Bryan McCormack for his dedicated services as an AmeriCorps* VISTA member over the past year.  We wish Bryan all the best as he pursues his MA in English at the University of South Florida.  
 
While we are sad to see Bryan go, we are excited that a new AmeriCorps* VISTA member, Macario Garcia (aka: Mac), and interns Kara Sammons and Amanda Gonzalez have joined the FLC team.
 
Read more