Adult Literacy Project
Recognizing that low levels of literacy are barriers to employment, family stability, educational attainment and the overall quality of life, the Hartford Foundation in 2007 approved $1.5 million over three years to support the launch of its Adult Literacy Project.
The lack of literacy skills at the most basic levels has severe repercussions for the region, since the lack of skilled workers affects the ability of the region to compete economically.
Capital Region Adult Literacy Plan
The goal was to improve and expand programs and increase collaboration and coordination of services. Research determined that literacy services were reaching - despite the best efforts of agencies - only 15 percent of those needing help. In addition to expanding existing programs, funding has been provided to pilot projects with the goal of replicating successful programs throughout the region.
“The launch of the Adult Literacy Project also coincided with some fortuitous developments at the state level,” said Senior Program officer Sharon O’Meara. In 2010, then Gov. M. Jodi Rell mandated that each Workforce investment Board in the state produce an adult literacy plan to help develop a skilled workforce with the requisite basic and technical skills to be productive in the rapidly changing global economy.
Thanks to the Adult Literacy Project, the Capitol Region was significantly ahead of other regions in the state. In 2009, the Foundation had convened project participants and other organizations for a two-day retreat where a plan for a regional literacy strategy was drafted.
The draft served as “an important foundational contribution” to a new Capital Regional Adult Literacy Plan (PDF, 430 KB) completed in 2010 by Capital Workforce Partners and nine regional agencies, including the Hartford Foundation.
The draft, which recommends formation of a new Capital Region Adult Literacy Partnership to implement the plan and serve as a permanent oversight structure for efforts to build the adult literacy system, has been submitted to the Connecticut Employment and Training Commission.
Through the end of 2010, the Adult Literacy Project has successfully served more than 550 students in its funded pilot programs, plus an additional 1,617 through upgrades at the Hartford Adult Education Center. Projects range from tutorial programs for speakers of other languages to transition to college programs.
“The most important outcome to date is the extent to which participating agencies have successfully and enthusiastically collaborated, both to improve existing projects and in the development of completely new programs,” said O’Meara.
Examples of new projects formed as a result of the Adult Literacy Project include:
- Voices of Concern for Adult Literacy, Connecticut’s first adult literacy student networking and advocacy group;
- STARS, an annual awards program for adult literacy students;
- A new professional development group for teachers offering several training and certification programs; and
- Hartford LEARN, a new information and referral pilot project.
The Adult Literacy Project has been showcased through presentations to local and national literacy officials and agencies, including the National Council on Adult Basic Education and the Connecticut Adult Education Board.
Agencies participating in the Adult Literacy Project are:
- Bloomfield Public Library
- Capital Community College
- Capital Workforce Partners
- Capitol Region Education Council
- Center for Urban Research, Educ. & Training
- Connecticut Puerto Rican Forum, Inc.
- Hartford Public Library
- Hartford Public Schools - Hartford Adult Education Center
- Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford
- Vernon Regional Adult and Continuing Education