September 26 – October 1, 2016 is National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week!

Adult Education and Family Literacy Week is sponsored by the National Coalition for Literacy (NCL).

The purpose of AEFL Week is to raise “public awareness about the need and value of adult education and family literacy in order to leverage resources to support access to basic education programs for the 36 million U.S. adults with low literacy skills. Advocates across the country use this opportunity to elevate adult education and family literacy nationwide with policymakers, the media, and the community.”

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Why do we need adult education?

  • ™1 in 6 American adults has low literacy skills and  1 in 3 has low numeracy skills, with little change in 20 years.
  • 60 million Americans lack the credentials and skills to succeed in postsecondary education
  • The United States has a larger population of low-skilled adults than most developed countries.

™2013 Survey by the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) found that:

  • –Adults are stagnating in literacy and doing worse in numeracy and rank lower than most other countries.
  • The U.S. has a large share of low skilled adults, those who perform below level 2nd Grade.
  • –Adults who come from poorly-educated families are 10 times more likely to have low skills.
  • 18-24 year olds are only slightly outpacing or are doing worse than older adults.

When you help and adult, you help the whole family!
(Commission on Adult Basic Education, a member of NCL)

Research shows that

  • a mother’s reading skill is the greatest determinant of her children’s future academic success, outweighing other factors, such as neighborhood and family income. At ECCAE, many of our learners are parents who are learning English in order to be more involved in the education of their children!
  • Children whose parents have low literacy levels have a 72% chance of being at the lowest reading levels (compared to 25% of children in the lowest reading level overall).
  • Adult education helps adults break cycles of inter-generational poverty and illiteracy by giving them the skills they need to succeed as workers, family members, and citizens.

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Help us celebrate adult education in Longmont by supporting our efforts!

If you are an employer, encourage workers to pursue English instruction or a secondary certificate, such as the GED.

  • For people who need to improve their English skills, see our Registration page.
  • For more advanced English studies, contact Calvary Church’s Open Door ESL.
  • If someone wishes to become a U.S. citizen, visit our Citizenship Campaign.

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We believe in life-long learning. You’re never too old to learn and it’s never too late to start!