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Community Learning Plaza – Plaza de Aprendizaje Community Learning Plaza – Plaza de Aprendizaje Poughkeepsie Public Library District & Poughkeepsie Public Library District & Literacy Connections Literacy Connections LOGO LOGO Introduction Introduction The Community Learning Plaza (CLP) in partnership with Literacy Connections: •Supported by funds from the New York State Library’s Adult Literacy Services grant program from July 2011 to June 2013 •Serves the literacy needs of Poughkeepsie’s Spanish-speaking people by Increasing use of library services Increasing self-sufficiency and job-readiness Strengthening ties to the community •Strengthens PPLD’s role as an effective literacy provider working in partnership with other literacy providers in the community Collaboration, Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration, collaboration! collaboration! We can’t do it alone! CLP is the sum of several parts – •The name for our project, Community Learning Plaza, is borrowed from Denver Public Library. The inspiration for this program was a description of Denver’s “Community Learning Plaza” on Web Junction. •The NYS Adult Literacy grant funds a position for a bilingual library assistant REFORMA has been a tremendous source of information and support Literacy Connections, our partner, provides ESL Classes •Our federal Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (B.T.O.P.) helped with technology training. Some of the other community organizations who have helped us: 1.Dutchess County B.O.C.E.S. 2.Somos La Llave del Futuro 3.Asociación para Hispanos para Obtener Recursos y Asistencia (A.H.O.R.A.) 4.Bringing Agencies Together (B.A.T.) 5.Immigrant Health Initiative (Dutchess County) 6.Worker Justice Center of NY 7.City of Poughkeepsie Schools 8.Ulster Savings Bank 9.Robert Fuchs, Immigration Attorney 10.Humanamente PPLD strives to become the place where Latinos come for information. On certain “Special Mondays” we bring speakers to talk to participants about community resources. We continually reach out to the community to involve more people. Bilingual speaker presentations: Access to health care Workers’ rights and safety Helping children to succeed in school Personal Finance Immigration Law Migratory mourning Outreach Visits to local Latino businesses Speak & post information at local churches Attend meetings with other community agencies Press releases to local newspapers, Spanish language radio Distribute flyers and posters both inside the library and in the community Advertise in our own library newsletter and calendar, both in print and online Community Literacy Community Literacy Attendance at our ESL and computer classes has far exceeded our expectations. Key to this success has been the cooperation between the library board, administration, and staff, along with the support of various community agencies. People understand and trust our project’s library assistant (she has directly helped at least 15 people sign up for new library cards since October 2011) and she has made the Latino community feel comfortable in the library. We are making our Spanish language collection more relevant by informally polling program participants about their preferences. Flexibility has been so important. For example, our original plan to hold speaker sessions on Sunday afternoons didn’t work out, so we brought the speakers to the ESL classes on Mondays. As the first year of our project comes to a close, we look forward to serving our Latino community in the second year and Discussion Discussion Monday nights are hopping at Adriance Memorial Library, main branch of the Poughkeepsie Public Library District (PPLD). At 6:00 the meeting room and any other available nook & cranny is filled with tutors and students learning to speak and write English. Some students bring their young children to the library too. Learning English An average of 25 students per week take advantage of this opportunity to learn English Literacy Connections’ Program manager tests the students and places them with one of five volunteer tutors. She also tracks progress with “post-tests.” Library assistant provides support in Spanish, makes sure everyone understands where to go and helps students sign up for library cards. Childcare Literacy Connections provides an adult to take care of students’ children in the library’s Children’s Room. NYS grant allows funds for an additional teen sitter and educational materials for the children on Monday evenings Language Literacy - ESL Language Literacy - ESL The library assistant teaches computer skills to Spanish-speaking adults. Computer Labs On Tuesday nights people come to computer lab to learn new skills, practice and become comfortable using computers. They can get help with tasks like filling out online forms and job applications. Computer Classes On Wednesday nights students can sign up for classes to learn PC Basics, Basic Internet, Keyboarding, and How to Open an Email account. Computer Literacy Computer Literacy

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Community Learning Plaza – Plaza de AprendizajeCommunity Learning Plaza – Plaza de AprendizajePoughkeepsie Public Library District &Poughkeepsie Public Library District &

Literacy ConnectionsLiteracy ConnectionsLOGOLOGO

IntroductionIntroduction

The Community Learning Plaza (CLP) in partnership with Literacy Connections:•Supported by funds from the New York State Library’s Adult Literacy Services grant program from July 2011 to June 2013•Serves the literacy needs of Poughkeepsie’s Spanish-speaking people by

Increasing use of library services Increasing self-sufficiency and job-

readiness Strengthening ties to the community

•Strengthens PPLD’s role as an effective literacy provider working in partnership with other literacy providers in the community

Collaboration, collaboration, Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration!collaboration!We can’t do it alone! CLP is the sum of several parts –

•The name for our project, Community Learning Plaza, is borrowed from Denver Public Library. The inspiration for this program was a description of Denver’s “Community Learning Plaza” on Web Junction.

•The NYS Adult Literacy grant funds a position for a bilingual library assistant

•REFORMA has been a tremendous source of information and support

•Literacy Connections, our partner, provides ESL Classes

•Our federal Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (B.T.O.P.) helped with technology training.

Some of the other community organizations who have helped us:

1.Dutchess County B.O.C.E.S.2.Somos La Llave del Futuro3.Asociación para Hispanos para Obtener Recursos y Asistencia (A.H.O.R.A.)4.Bringing Agencies Together (B.A.T.)5.Immigrant Health Initiative (Dutchess County)6.Worker Justice Center of NY7.City of Poughkeepsie Schools8.Ulster Savings Bank9.Robert Fuchs, Immigration Attorney10.Humanamente11.La Voz

PPLD strives to become the place where Latinos come for information. On certain “Special Mondays” we bring speakers to talk to participants about community resources. We continually reach out to the community to involve more people.

Bilingual speaker presentations:

Access to health care Workers’ rights and safety Helping children to succeed in school Personal Finance Immigration Law Migratory mourning

Outreach

Visits to local Latino businesses Speak & post information at local churchesAttend meetings with other community agencies Press releases to local newspapers, Spanish language radio Distribute flyers and posters both inside the library and in the communityAdvertise in our own library newsletter and calendar, both in print and online

Community LiteracyCommunity Literacy

Attendance at our ESL and computer classes has far exceeded our expectations. Key to this success has been the cooperation between the library board, administration, and staff, along with the support of various community agencies. People understand and trust our project’s library assistant (she has directly helped at least 15 people sign up for new library cards since October 2011) and she has made the Latino community feel comfortable in the library. We are making our Spanish language collection more relevant by informally polling program participants about their preferences.

Flexibility has been so important. For example, our original plan to hold speaker sessions on Sunday afternoons didn’t work out, so we brought the speakers to the ESL classes on Mondays.

As the first year of our project comes to a close, we look forward to serving our Latino community in the second year and beyond.

DiscussionDiscussion

Monday nights are hopping at Adriance Memorial Library, main branch of the Poughkeepsie Public Library District (PPLD). At 6:00 the meeting room and any other available nook & cranny is filled with tutors and students learning to speak and write English. Some students bring their young children to the library too.

Learning English An average of 25 students per week take advantage of this opportunity to learn English Literacy Connections’ Program manager tests the students and places them with one of five volunteer tutors. She also tracks progress with “post-tests.” Library assistant provides support in Spanish, makes sure everyone understands where to go and helps students sign up for library cards.

Childcare Literacy Connections provides an adult to take care of students’ children in the library’s Children’s Room. NYS grant allows funds for an additional teen sitter and educational materials for the children on Monday evenings

Language Literacy - ESLLanguage Literacy - ESL

The library assistant teaches computer skills to Spanish-speaking adults.

Computer Labs

On Tuesday nights people come to computer lab to learn new skills, practice and become comfortable using computers. They can get help with tasks like filling out online forms and job applications.

Computer Classes

On Wednesday nights students can sign up for classes to learn PC Basics, Basic Internet, Keyboarding, and How to Open an Email account.

Computer LiteracyComputer Literacy