Our desire is to STOP ILLITERACY before it starts. Just 5 years ago, we were helping only 12 children! In 2006, we served over 7,000 kids in Springfield!!!
Over 40,000 Greene County adults can read a little but not well enough to fill out an application, read a food label, or read a simple story to a child!
Out of the Greene County population 25 years and over (153,930), 6,610 adults have not achieved an 8th grade education and, in addition, 16,893 have not graduated high school.
BASIC LITERACY
Ozarks Literacy Council (OLC) was founded 40 years ago with the idea of one-on-one tutoring to help adults read and write, improve math skills, and prepare for their GED. Volunteers trained in Laubach methods tutor adult learners weekly at mutually convenient sites and times. All services are free. Tutor trainings are held several times yearly.
ESOL PROGRAM
Ozarks Literacy Council partners with Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC) to have English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Classes are held Tuesday evenings at the OLC office classroom. Individual tutors may also meet with individual learners at other times and places.
PRE-LITERACY: Special Needs & Title One Preschools
Through the generosity of the Darr Foundation, volunteers go into 27 “special needs” preschool classrooms of three- to five-year olds to read and present visual aids, puppets, and learning-focused activities. Through this effort, we’re able to reach approximately 400 children monthly. An expanded preliteracy project was piloted through the Burrell Center and ELOA, which enables local business volunteers to visit thirteen Title One (at risk, low income) classrooms to read and do reading-reinforcing activities. This project reaches 195 children several times a semester. Besides the positive experience of reading in the classroom environment, each child in both programs is given his or her very own book to take home. These books are sometimes the first book the child has owned.
SPECIAL NEEDS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Through the Transitions program at Central High School, OLC enables “special needs” high school students to improve their reading skills using Laubach materials. These students then qualify for the A+ program, enabling them to qualify for up to two free years of training at OTC. Last year, there were more students from the Transitions program receiving their diplomas than ever before. The teachers report dramatically improving reading scores!
CHARACTER EDUCATION/R.A.V.E.
Reading Adding Value and Effectiveness program promotes character education. We will read and give quality literature at Bridges for Youth, Family Violence Center, and community events such as Community Wide Play Day.
READING ADVOCACY
OLC volunteers read at the Salvation Army Summer Program for children, Head Start, Parenting Life Skills Center, and other organizations. Kraft Foods, the Gannett Foundation, the J.P. Morgan Chase Foundation, Martin Family Foundation, the Musgrave Foundation, and Community Foundation of the Ozarks are some of the donors who help support these special programs. OLC read to over 300 children at Commercial Street’s Christmas event and distributed over 2000 free books at the Convoy of Hope in 2004. We have provided curriculum to Little Theater’s Literature to Life project for two years reaching over 1800 students and giving teachers additional resources each year.
VOLUNTEERS
There are many different opportunities and levels of commitment for volunteers. Contact us to see how you can become involved! Thank you.
OLC is a United Way agency. We are affiliated with ProLiteracy Worldwide.
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Thanks for adding the Doomzday Dollz! Next game March 9th..."Hit Me, I'm Irish". Wear your green for the Irish theme and ofcourse pink to support the Doomzday Dollz! Keep checking our site for updates! We are recruiting NOW!! ~Springfield Roller Girls
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance,
chaos into order, confusion into clarity....
It turns problems into gifts, failures into success,
the unexpected into perfect timing..
and mistakes into important events.
Gratitude makes sense of our past,
brings peace for today and
creates a vision for tomorrow.
