Ginny Carmody

1
The Conversation Continues

• Ginny Carmody
• Executive Director
• Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County
• Kim Scott
• Literacy Powerline
• March 27, 2009

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County

• Vision
• 100 Literacy through 100 Community Engagement

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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."

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What is Community Literacy?

• The community comes together around shared
  problem-solving and promotes the vision of 100
  literacy through 100 community engagement.
• Literacy is infused into all community
  initiatives.

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Why a Literacy Coalition?

• The magnitude of our low literacy problem is
  daunting. Onondaga County is estimated to have
• 34,000 adults below basic literacy levels (2009
  National Center for Education statistics based on
  2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy
  research)
• 47,000 adults without a high school diploma
• (U. S. Census, 2007)

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Why a Literacy Coalition?

• Literacy and economic development go hand in
  hand. Therefore, starting in early childhood,
  literacy programs must scale up services to
  create a strong, literate foundation on which the
  education system can be built.

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Why a Literacy Coalition?

• Children are prepared for success in school.
• People are employed, self-sufficient and
  optimistic about their future security.
• Women men are making informed decisions about
  civic, environmental and health issues.
• Children adults are skilled in technology and
  finances.

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What has been done?

• In 2004, the Community Foundation began a
  grantmaking initiative dubbed read ahead and laid
  groundwork for literacy across the lifespan.
• 7 Key Indicators were developed by the Community
  Literacy Task Force
• Linkage developed amongst literacy providers
  125 members of Family Literacy Alliance of
  Greater Syracuse (FLAGS)

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What has been done?

• Community Planning Structure
• Meetings over 5 months Sept 07 to Jan 08
• 160 leaders from businesses large small,
  government, civic organizations, not-for-profit
  agencies, faith communities, education active
  citizens, adult learners
• Outcomes
• Community Literacy Plan
• Governance structure

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What has been done?

• In 2008
• SUs Community Geographer conducted a Literacy
  Mapping Project, surveying local literacy program
  providers to discover what they offered the
  community and what challenges they faced.
•  
• A Funding Analysis Survey identified funding
  opportunities that can be pursued to help
  providers .

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What has been done?

• In 2008
• With the support of many in the community, the
  Community Foundation and Family Literacy Alliance
  of Greater Syracuse (FLAGS) worked together to
  form the Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County.

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County Partners

• City of Syracuse
• Clear Channel Communications, Inc.
• CNY Works
• Colonial Laundromat
• Ruth J. Colvin
• Communities United to Rebuild Neighborhoods
• Community Health Foundation of Western and CNY
• Community Members
• Community Wide Dialogue (Interfaith Works)
• Childrens Consortium
• Cowley Associates
• Crouse Health Foundation
• CXtec
• Dr. King School
• Dunbar Association, Inc.

• Abundant Life Christian Church
• Adult Student Learners
• Alliance for Quality Education
• Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse
  (ACTS)
• Allyn Foundation
• Apter OConnor
• Barnes Noble
• Beard Miller Company LLP
• Bond Schoeneck King, LLP
• Boy Scouts/Hiawatha Seaway Council
• CS Worldwide Holdings, Inc.
• Catholic Charities
• Center for Community Alternatives
• Center of New Americans
• Central New York Christian Ministries
• Central New York Community Foundation
• Child Care Solutions

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County Partners

• East Syracuse-Minoa Central School
• Evangelical Church of God in Christ
• Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Family Literacy Alliance of Greater Syracuse
  (FLAGS)
• FOCUS Greater Syracuse
• Franciscan Collaborative Ministries
• Gifford Foundation
• Girl Scout Council of Central New York, Inc.
• Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce
• Health Advancement Collaborative
• Hillbrook/True Vine
• Honeywell
• HR 1
• Huntington Family Center
• Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance
• Jail Ministry

• JOBSplus!
• Journey 2 Jobs
• Junior League of Syracuse
• L JG Stickley, Inc.
• Learning Disabilities Assoc. of CNY
• LeMoyne College
• Liverpool Public Library
• Lockheed Martin
• Literacy Volunteers of Greater Syracuse
• MT Bank
• Manufacturers Association of CNY (MACNY)
• Mary Nelson Youth Day BBQ
• Mercy Works Vision Center
• Metropolitan Development Association (MDA)
• Midstate RAEN
• Morrow Graphics, Inc.

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County Partners

• NYS Education Department-Adult and Family
  Literacy
• NYS Alliance for Family Literacy
• NYS Council on Children and Families
• NYS Economic Development-Upstate
• OCM BOCES
• On Point for College
• Onondaga Case Management Services
• Onondaga Central Schools
• Onondaga County Community College
• Onondaga County
• Onondaga County Executives Office
• Onondaga County Public Library
• Onondaga County Sheriffs Office at the Justice
  Center
• Onondaga County/Dept. of Social Services
• Pan African Community of CNY (PACCNY)

• P.E.A.C.E., Inc.
• Partners for Arts Education
• Partners for Education Business
• People in Action
• PinckneyHugoGroup
• ProLiteracy Worldwide
• Rebuild Syracuse, Inc. Syracuse Empire Zone
• Reach CNY
• Rescue Mission
• Rosamond Gifford Lecture Series
• Rotary Clubs
• S.U. School of Education
• Salvation Army
• South Presbyterian Church
• Southside News Stand
• St. Josephs Hospital Health Center

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County Partners

• Tully Central Schools
• United Way of CNY
• University College
• WCNY-TV
• Westcott Community Center
• Westside Community School Strategy
• Westside Learning Center/Partners in Learning
• WISE Center
• WorkKeys Center at University College
• YMCA

• Success By Six
• SUNY Upstate Medical Center
• Syracuse 20/20
• Syracuse City School District
• Syracuse Common Council
• Syracuse Community Health Center
• Syracuse Housing Authority
• Syracuse Jewish Family Center
• Syracuse University
• Syracuse Womens Commission
• The Community Foundation of
• Herkimer Oneida Counties
• The Learning Place
• The Post-Standard
• Time Warner
• Trinity Assembly of God
• Tucker Missionary Baptist Church

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What does a Coalition look like?
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What does a Literacy Coalition do?
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What does a Literacy Coalition do?

• With a county-wide literacy plan we have a much
  higher chance of success. We can ...
• Increase resources for literacy and target
  investments for the greatest impact
• Expand access to literacy services throughout the
  community
• Provide coordination to assure the most efficient
  and effective services

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What does a Literacy Coalition do?

• Spread best practice throughout an integrated
  system of lifelong learning
• Ensure accountability to achieve high instruction
  and program management
• Engage the leadership of the community at its
  highest levels to build lasting solutions
• Keep literacy visible as a top priority in the
  community

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County

• Vision
• 100 Literacy through 100 Community Engagement

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County

• Mission
• Our mission, as the birthplace of the modern
  literacy movement, is to build and support
  community initiatives that improve literacy
  across the lifespan in Onondaga County.

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County

• Goals Objectives
• Advocate for Literacy
• Raise awareness for community literacy and
  learning across the lifespan.
• Actively engage in a
• strategic partnership
• with ProLiteracy to
• build a model program
• to be replicated
• nationwide.
•  

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County

• Advocate for Literacy
• Promote strategies that support our Early
  Childhood Focus on Community Literacy Indicators
  1 and 5.
• 1 Increased number of incoming kindergarteners
  prepared for school
• 5 Increased number of children who read at home
  or are read to daily

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County

• Build Partnerships
• Create a literate community by providing wrap
  around resources and support across the lifespan,
  linking early childhood, K-12, adult and family
  education, literacy and vocational providers into
  a cohesive collaborative network.
• Support the Health Literacy Network goals and
  objectives.
• Establish a Financial Literacy Network and
  support its goals and objectives.

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County

• Build Partnerships
• Launch an adult leadership group affiliated with
  the Voice for Adult Literacy United for
  Education for adult learners in Onondaga County.
• Support Success By 6 goal to increase the
  involvement of children from birth to 6 in
  literacy development activities so that all
  children enter school better able to succeed.
• Link to other networks in the community and
  coordinate their literacy related action plans in
  the LCOCs Community Literacy Work Plan.
•  

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County

• Build Capacity
• Strengthen and enhance the transition to
  kindergarten for children in Onondaga County.
• Raise awareness of the joy and learning of daily
  reading to or by a child through the Read to Me
  initiative.
•  Support Say Yes to Education and The Westside
  Community School Strategy partners in efforts to
  increase high school and college graduation rates
  for Syracuse City School District youth.

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County

• Build Capacity
• Ensure literacy is integrated into workforce
  skill development strategies through the Journey
  to Jobs initiative with CNY Works,
• MDAs Essential New
• York Initiative, and other
• workforce initiatives in the
• community.
•  

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County

• Build Capacity
• Meet professional development needs for literacy
  service providers.

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County

• Inform the Community
• Develop and maintain a large scale, comprehensive
  media campaign to build public awareness of
  literacy.
• Develop and maintain a highly visible and
  transparent organization.

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County

• Provide Resources
• Secure resources to support literacy programs in
  Onondaga County and the operation of the
  Coalition.

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County

• Evaluate and Report Progress
• Determine community literacy indicators to be
  used by the Coalition.

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Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County

• Strengthen the Coalition
• Provide Governance Council, Managing Partners,
  Action Team Leaders and the general public with a
  professional and responsive office to serve the
  needs of all those engaged with the Coalitions
  Vision of 100 Literacy through 100 Community
  Engagement.

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The Conversation Continues

• Any thoughts or questions?
• Contact Ginny Carmody
• 428-8129
• vcarmody_at_unitedway-cny.org