Certified Literate Community Program (CLCP)

Baldwin CLCP

Communities In Schools Milledgeville-Baldwin County (CISMBC) and Central Georgia Technical College (CGTC) are working together in Baldwin County to provide opportunities for local individuals to obtain the skills they need to lead more rewarding and fulfilling lives.  In turn, these individuals benefit the Baldwin County community as they become more successful and responsible in their roles as employees, parents, neighbors and citizens.

Sallie Devero, CGTC Dean of Adult Education and CIS Board Member, has shared her expertise to ensure Milledgeville-Baldwin County adult learners are given the chance to improve their lives; a second chance to obtain their diploma.  Currently –  a partnership between CISMBC, CGTC and the Milledgeville Housing Authority (MHA),  made it possible for many students without transportation to attend class by initiating a class at the Graham Homes Housing Authority Building.  CISMBC has secured funding to add an additional site in Milledgeville.  CISMBC  and CGTC are working together and hope to have another new site in an underserved area up and running by October.

Through partnership with the Georgia Work Ready Program and CGTC, all adult education participants have the opportunity to obtain job skills certificates.   In fact, WorkKeys testing is open to anyone in Baldwin County at the CGTC Milledgeville campus.  Having a Work Ready Certificate makes a big difference in a job search.  Obtaining this certificate will help a job applicant stand out and serves as peace of mind to a hiring manager.

CISMBC has submitted an application to the State of Georgia to be included in the Certified Literate Community Program (CLCP).  The mission of the CISMBC Certified Literate Community Program is to provide resources for Baldwin County citizens to ensure literacy; “an individual’s ability to read, write, speak in English, compute, and solve problems at the levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family, and in society”.   (~ Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Section 203)  The CLCP will ensure Milledgeville will be able to attract new businesses that are seeking a motivated, dependable and capable pool of prospective employees.

In addition, CGTC is a partner in the CISMBC Family Education Initiative, a plan funded by a grant from the Governor’s Office for Children and Families. 

The earlier in a child’s educational process parent involvement begins, the more powerful the effects.  The most effective forms of parent involvement are those, which engage parents in working directly with their children on learning activities at home.  Decades of research by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) show that when parents are involved students have:

1. Higher grades, test scores, and graduation rates
2. Better school attendance
3. Increased motivation, better self-esteem
4. Lower rates of suspension
5. Decreased use of drugs and alcohol
6. Fewer instances of violent behavior

 

This research also states that one of the most effective ways to help children be successful in school is to educate their parents.   Educated parents are more apt to be involved and stay involved.

CISMBC took this research to heart.  With funding awarded by The Governor’s Office for Children and Families (GOCF) the CISMBC Family Education initiative will be begin this fall with select families at The Baldwin County Early Learning Center.   This program takes a holistic approach to help families break the cycle of illiteracy, unemployment, and poverty by providing educational services to the whole family.  The program will reach out to families in four ways:  1. early childhood education;   2. adult education; 3. parenting education; and, 4. intergenerational literacy activities.  Parents will be required to further their education in order for their children to participate – making this a true Family Education program.  Initial partners also include: Baldwin County Board of Education, The Baldwin County Early Learning Center, Oconee Prevention Resource Council, Georgia College & State University, GCSU GIVE Center, Central Georgia Technical College, Georgia Military College, Hands On Milledgeville, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and Digital Bridges.

Bibb CLCP - DREAM Team

On April 14, 2010, 43 community leaders met at Central Georgia Technical College to bring about the revitalization of Bibb County's Certified Literate Community initiative by forming a group designated the "DREAM Team," Dedicated to Reading and Educational Advancement in Macon. In 1990, some efforts had been made to move our area to the goal of a more literate population. Representatives from Bibb service groups, the educational arena, local businesses, and interested parties with proven records of great personal service in the area of literacy committed to working together to address a crisis in our community.

• Travis Blackwell, the Director of the Community Partnership in Macon led this inaugural meeting of the DREAM Team.
• Dr. Mike Moye, CGTC's new President, who has been associated with the successful work of CLCP's in several counties in Georgia. His commitment to this endeavor will be one of the keys to the success of these new efforts.
• Dr. Craig Wentworth, CGTC's Vice-President, Academic Affairs, also shocked the DREAM Team by sharing this fresh statistic: 75% of the jobs in the next 10 years will require more than a high school diploma or GED. Only 15% of those future jobs will call for a college diploma. That makes educational opportunities at local technical schools even more important. That makes literacy even more important for everyone, but especially for the 40,000 in Middle Georgia who do not have either a high school diploma or GED (again, from the last census). It also makes having a Georgia Work Ready Certificate even more important since it is a national movement to ensure that those hired by business and industry are proficient in reading, math, and critical thinking skills. (That test is given for free every Thursday at 8 a.m. in CGTC's J Building.)
• Sallie Devero, the Dean of the Adult Education Program spoke about the importance of community support.
• Billie Izard, the Executive Director of the Certified Literate Community Program for the state of Georgia, brought news of the possibilities of working with our community to raise literacy levels from "the cradle to the grave."  
• Sherri Perry, the Executive Director of the Winder-Barrow Coalition for Adult & Continuing Education, shared her experience in creating this CLCP. What struck me most were her determination and creativity in achieving the goals of her program, which are probably different from those of other counties. Such goals are set after surveying a community's needs and desires.  Ms. Perry really opened eyes when she told how her CLCP efforts began.
• Sharon Cloud (CGTC's Special Projects Coordinator) stressed, the greatest single predictor of a child's success is his or her mother's educational level, how can we hope to have things stay the same for our population? When 57% of the people in the Middle Georgia area (according to the last census) cannot make a decent living to support their families, it is no wonder that we have abysmally low rates of literacy, extremely high rates of dropouts, and tragically high rates of teen pregnancy. I say "tragically" because those births are more likely to be premature and without the best pre-natal care.

 

Again, to quote Ms. Perry, CLCP efforts work because local communities "make it their own" and show commitment to a "womb to the tomb" stress on literacy on all levels. Plus, as Ms. Izard stressed: "The answers are at the local level." Hopefully, this initial meeting and the steering committee meeting afterward will galvanize our community in its efforts to ensure productive citizens in every area of our society. Further plans are now being made to visit other successful CLCP's and begin surveying all sectors to see what Bibb County's greatest literacy needs are.

If you want to join the DREAM Team, just let Sharon Cloud or Travis Blackwell know. It will take all of our efforts as a community to make this "dream" a reality for Bibb County.

Monroe CLCP

What We Are

• A Certified Literate Community – Sponsored by Department of Technical & Adult Education – this is a 10-year program to reach at least one half plus one of adults in Monroe County who do not have a high school diploma, according to the previous census. Our goal number was 2,155. We've met this goal and have now received this designation by the TCSG State Board. Since we've reached our goal, the City of Forsyth and Monroe County can put this title on their letterheads – businesses looking for communities for relocation purposes pay special attention to this because it means there is an educated workforce in the community.
• A non-profit organization that wants to help the citizens of Monroe County become more literate in all areas of their lives.

How We Reach Our Goal

• Employ a part time director who speaks at civic, business, church and social group meetings, mans information booths at school and community functions, writes newspaper articles, and generally helps get the word out to the community about literacy opportunities in the county.
• Work in partnership with Central Georgia Technical College which provides GED classes in Monroe County free of charge, with a full-time instructor/manager. Classes are currently held on Monday - Thursday mornings and afternoons.
• Support Monroe County GED students by providing scholarships for all students from Monroe County, which pays $57 (for three parts) of the $95 testing fee, and we reward the students who have perfect attendance and complete class requirements. Thirteen students were awarded scholarships in the past year.
• Annually Present every 3rd grader in the county with a Student Dictionary. (Approximate cost $500) Last year’s total was $571.
• Sponsor 40 children for Monroe Reads. (Free book every month for children from birth through age 5 – cost - $1,400)
• Distribute brochures around the county with information on class times, phone numbers, etc.
• Provide literature for and co-sponsor English as a Second Language classes held on Tuesday evenings at First Baptist Church. Total enrollment currently is 15 to 20 students and about 15 volunteers – tutors, refreshments, babysitters.

How We Fund What We Do

• Receive $2,000 annually from Monroe County Board of Commissioners
• All other funds (including the director's salary) are raised by MCACE through grants, donations, and fundraisers.

How You Can Help

• Donate your time as a volunteer at either GED classes or the ESL classes.
• Provide refreshments for ESL classes
• Make donations to Monroe County ACE. We are a 501(c) (3) organization and your gifts are tax deductible.
• SUPPORT OUR FUNDRAISERS (trivia contest, spelling bee, dance, concert, dinner theater) by attending the fundraisers. It's a great way to spend an evening, and you'll be wonderfully entertained!

 

These are the future plans that we submitted as part of our certification process in Feb. 2010:

• Continue to work with our GED program, ESL classes, and programs at Burress Correctional Facility,
• Continue the Dictionary Project for all third graders in Monroe County,
• Continue to raise awareness through public speaking at local civic clubs, schools, and churches,
• Continue to raise awareness through newspaper articles, brochures, and other printed materials,
• Fundraisers will continue and the seeking of grant money will become a priority to assure the continuous operation of our CLCP and its activities,
• Sustain the relationships with supporting entities in the county and also develop new partnerships with other businesses and organizations,
• Use funds to create a GED scholarship that will help students advance to post-secondary education,
• Create a larger volunteer base, and with that create a virtual volunteer group,
• Create and maintain a web page to help create awareness of our mission and our activities; this internet connection will help by providing links to websites such as the National Institute for Literacy, Georgia Office of Adult Education Literacy, Georgia Work Ready, Technical College System of Georgia, and many others; it will also be a place that our board and the community can keep abreast of our events,
• Develop and implement basic computer literacy classes, health literacy seminars, and financial literacy workshops,
• Work closely with Central Georgia Technical College to improve the rate of students entering the post-secondary programs,
• Implement and encourage citizens to use the Key Train program to help improve their skills,
• Implement the Golden Opportunity Grant that we received to help improve the number of people receiving a Georgia Work Ready Certificate and then improving to the next level of certification,
• Utilizing the GO Grant money to implement some programs (computer literacy, etc.) to help the work force in Monroe County,
• Change our name to MCACE:  Monroe County Adult and Community Education; this new name reflects our goal to reach more into the community beyond the GED program,
• And, we hope to move to different facilities in the near future that will help us better serve the citizens of Monroe County.

Contact Information

Sonja Evans, Executive Director
Monroe County ACE (Adult & Community Education)
433 Hwy. 41 South
Forsyth, Georgia 31029

Telephone: (478) 992-2717
 Email: shevans@centralgatech.edu

Twiggs CLCP

The residents of Twiggs County are working together and it shows. On June 30, 2010 it was announced that Twiggs had attained their Georgia Work Ready Certification. The outgoing Superintendent, Dr. Carol Brown also announced that the Graduation Rate for Twiggs this year was 83%; which is a jump for the 56.2% when the Georgia Work Ready Certification application was originally submitted.

The Twiggs Board of Education received an Early Reading First Grant (ERF)and is collaborating with Head Start to ensure the children starting out are better prepared to succeed. "This partnership is working extremely well," stated Dr. Sarah Hawthorne a member of the Central Georgia Technical Board of Directors and a strong advocate for early interventions. Dr. Hawthorne has a long and proven history in the field of education.

The CLCP initiative has been embraced by many members of a community that values outcomes. Dr. Michael McKenna from the University of Virginia has written a book that reports on strategies used with Twiggs County Early Learning Program. The progress began with and Even Start Grant and has continued with the ERF. Family Connection has been and integral part of increased family involvement in this community.

To Contact Celeste Orr
Twiggs County Family Connections
http://www.gafcp.org/fcnetwork/twiggs/

To Contact Dr. Sarah Hawthorne
http://www.alphaskills.com

Links for Certified Literate Community Program

Governor Purdue Announces 11 New Work Ready Communities