My guest contributor for this month’s issue is Maura Geary, Program Manager for Literacy Programs and Project Manager for the Springfield Workforce Development Plan at the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, Inc.

 

How many times have you read something today? How about this week? Whether you’ve traded emails with a coworker or scanned local and national headlines about Scott Brown’s victory, literacy has kept you connected and informed. Literacy helps you keep your family on-track and healthy, as you find the best deals on food and products and choose the right medicine for that mysterious combination of cold and flu symptoms. More and more, your literacy level determines not only how much you earn, but whether you’ll be able to get a job at all.

       If you’re an adult who can read and write, it’s easy to take literacy for granted, but too many people are not participating fully in our community because of a lack of basic literacy skills.

       While you probably know that the high school graduation rates in both Springfield and Holyoke hover at around 50 percent, you might not be aware of some other literacy indicators in our region. In Springfield, by the end of 3rd grade, only about a third of children are reading on grade level. A full 25 percent of adults over the age of 25 don’t have a high school diploma or GED, and 30 percent of all Springfield residents speak a language other than English at home (of these half speak English less than very well).

       These statistics have a tremendous impact on our local economic forecast. Although it may be difficult for anyone to secure a good job in this economy, when employment rates do begin to rise, we will return to a scenario where employers are unable to find skilled employees while thousands of workers remain unemployed.

       And even as American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars are funding skills training programs, minimum literacy requirements make it difficult for many to take advantage of these opportunities.

       The good news is that throughout Hampden County, community leaders and organizations understand the need for investment in the education and skills of the workforce. In addition to many excellent literacy programs, we have a number of literacy initiatives working to change the conditions of illiteracy in our community.

       A few examples include: Read! Reading Success by 4th Grade, of Cherish Every Child and the Davis Foundation, which is working to help children become proficient readers; the Hasbro Summer Learning Initiative, which builds literacy strategies into afterschool and summer programs; and, Literacy Works, of the Regional Employment Board, a partnership of Adult Basic Education providers working to increase capacity and align with workforce development and higher education. In addition, more than 20 prominent business leaders advise and advocate through the Hampden County Literacy Cabinet, and local print, television and online media consistently keep this issue on the public agenda.

       What all of these groups have in common is the recognition that literacy and skill development is the key to the future of our community and a realization that with the level of commitment and resources at hand, if we work together, we can succeed. Part Two of this column will highlight some new and innovative strategies that promise to make a difference.  n