English as a first language can be hard, too
By Ken Cerini
February 2, 2007

Whether it’s reading from a grocery list, filling out paperwork at the doctor or simply writing a note to your child’s teacher, proper literacy skills are absolutely essential to almost any lifestyle.

To many, these skills come as second nature. But there are approximately 240,000 adults in Nassau County alone who struggle every day with reading, writing and speaking English. Hence the importance of Literacy Nassau, an organization aimed at fostering basic literacy skills in adults who need a hand.

“A fact, which we see firsthand, is that illiteracy is cyclical,” said Literacy Nassau Executive Director Tina Sanacore. “If parents struggle with illiteracy, there’s a good chance their children will, too. Therefore, one of our main goals is to break that cycle.”

Who does the organization most frequently serve? The organization serves adults at a fifth-grade reading level or below, where typical curriculum-based programs such as BOCES and other adult-education courses are unable to meet their needs. Although many of our students have been born and raised in the area, have gone to school here and have even graduated with a high school degree, our students are typically at the lowest levels of literacy. Due to the influx of new immigrants, about two-thirds of our students are English language learners. In these cases, we work with many parents in the area to help them develop the skills necessary to be more self-confident and self-sufficient, especially when dealing with their children and their community.

What is it you’re trying to accomplish with these students? We’re trying to help our students achieve whatever their personal goals may be. For example, we had one student who wanted to get his real estate license, but needed our help studying for the test. Other students have come to us with the hopes of getting their driver’s license. One student we had was a waiter in an Italian restaurant, and he needed to learn the different names of the pizza toppings. Once he got “pepperoni,” “sausage” and “onion” down pat, he felt he could leave.

I recently read of another student who started with us two or three years ago as an attorney in Columbia. He came to the organization and worked with one of our tutors for just over a year, and now he is teaching English as a Second Language at the Freeport adult education program.

How long does the average student typically stay with the organization? It all depends on the student, their goals and the rate at which they’re making progress. My very first student, for example, was enthusiastic as could be, and waited a while until he could be matched with a tutor. When we were finally matched, I worked with him for only six weeks, and then he gave up. On the opposite side of the spectrum, we have a student who has been with us for 11 years. Students stay with us for as long as they choose to or until they graduate, which means they’ve reached the fifth-grade reading level. Once students reach that level, they are better served by people who have the professional skills and training, as opposed to our tutors, who take a 15-hour workshop covering technique, the adult learner and cultural competencies.

What is the greatest challenge or need the organization faces today? Our greatest need is, and has always been, more volunteer tutors. While many of our tutors come to us through word of mouth, we also reach out through libraries and religious organizations for as much help as we can get. Because we work one-on-one or in small groups, we can only work with as many students as we have tutors. To add to that, throughout this organization’s history, we’ve always had a waiting list. We are currently working with approximately 350 students, and our waiting list has been as high as 500. However, due to the fact that we match students and tutors based on mutual availability and location, it’s nearly impossible to guarantee we will make it through the entire backlog. Therefore, we are always looking for more tutors to volunteer.

What part has technology played in the growth of the organization? Technology plays an increasing role in helping us educate our students. We’ve just received a grant from IBM which enabled us to install our own computer lab. In addition, IBM granted us new and innovative bi-directional software which permits a Spanish-speaking parent to send an e-mail to their child’s teacher in Spanish; the teacher then receives it and responds to it in English. Through this program, it arrives back in the parent’s mailbox in Spanish again. While this software doesn’t help the parent develop their English speaking skills, it draws them confidently into their community, fostering communication, which will ultimately motivate the parent and enable them to take a more active role in their child’s education.

What else do you see happening in the future of the organization? Our major goal for the future is to grow the resources of this organization so that we could effectively help as many members of this population as possible. I see us refining much of what we’re doing and I am confident that technology will continue to play a great role in serving our students. In addition, I believe we’ll see more and more students coming to us with learning disabilities, in which case we’re going to need to incorporate specialized training for our tutors in dealing with adults who have those disabilities.

Address: 250 Fulton Ave., Suite 514, Hempstead, NY 11550
Executive director: Tina Sanacore
Phone: (516) 486-2789
Web site: www.literacynassau.org
Founded: 1968
Staff: 7
Annual Budget: $400,000
Fundraised Budget: $200,000
Program Services: 89 percent