Community Foundation Convenes Community Stakeholders

to Address Local Literacy Needs

 

In 2008, at the request of local literacy providers, The Community Foundation convened a group of local residents and organizations around a focus of community-wide literacy. The interest expressed by the participants in finding new ways of collaborating on such an important topic led The Foundation to commission three baseline reports on community literacy. These reports by nationally recognized literacy consultants Literacy Powerline illustrate the status of literacy needs and services in our community to better inform service plans. 

 

In response to the ongoing dialogue, as well as action, to bring new neighborhood based literacy services to the region, The Community Foundation continued its commitment to provide reliable information on local literacy needs by commissioning Literacy Powerline to research a baseline data report for Herkimer County.  The Literacy Needs and Services Assessment for Herkimer County, released June 2010, is a community tool to further collaborative efforts underway that positively address illiteracy in our two county region.

 

What is Literacy?

The Workforce Investment Act defines literacy as “an individual’s ability to read, write, speak in English, compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual and in society.”  People often think of literacy solely in terms of reading and writing, but there are many aspects of literacy that are broader than just the basic skills.  These include health literacy, workforce literacy, financial literacy, computer literacy, family literacy, and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Learn more...

 

Literacy in Herkimer and Oneida Counties

Our community is one with strong assets and possibilities. It has a plentiful supply of affordable housing, a vibrant mix of cultural and ethnic diversity, and a wide variety of vocational and recreational opportunities. Oneida County is challenged, however by a silent crisis: nearly half of its residents suffer from low literacy skills, a fact that severely limits the potential for future growth and prosperity.

 

The literacy crisis is not unique to our region. The National Commission on Adult Literacy recently reported that the U.S. is the only one out of thirty leading free-market countries where young adults are less educated than their parents. Facing this situation, every American community wants high level, high impact changes to improve education, and the Mohawk Valley is no exception.

 

Herkimer and Oneida County Literacy Reports

 

Herkimer County

     Needs and Current Services Report

 

Oneida County

     Greater Utica Area

          Needs Assessment

          Current Services

          Funding Analysis         

    

 

            

Additional Resources

        Literacy Powerline

        National Center for Family Literacy

        National Institute on Literacy

        ProLiteracy Worldwide  

 

             

 

 

Special Thanks 

The Community Foundation would like to thank the many individuals and organizations who participated in the literacy conversations, contributed to these reports, and work everyday to improve the lives of our community members. Your commitment and contributions to these reports is invaluable. 

 

If you would like to learn more please, contact

The Community Foundation’s Program Department at 315-735-8212.