Piedmont Community College’s family literacy class, Adults and Children in Education (ACE), celebrated the end of their class on June 4 at Earl Bradsher Preschool on South Morgan Street in Roxboro.
During the celebration, guest speakers Debra Harlow, Dean of Adult Basic Skills at Piedmont Community College, Treco Lea-Jeffers, Director of Earl Bradsher Preschool, and, Pam Wood, Supervisor of the Work First Program, Department of Social Services, thanked the students for participating in the ACE program and explained how the value of their investment in their education impacts everyone in their families. Debra Harlow added that this “ripple effect” has been proven and documented in research to show a correlation between a child’s success in school as it is related to the educational level of the child’s mother.
During the ACE celebration, participants were awarded certificates from Donna King, the Motheread® facilitator, and Cortney Morrow, PCC’s ACE instructor/coordinator. The Educational Opportunity Center and PCC’s Adult Basic Skills department also provided gift bags of literacy activities and books for the students and their children to encourage continued learning and reading during the summer break.
The ACE family literacy project was funded through a two year grant from the North Carolina Community College System’s Basic Skills/College and Career Readiness division. Instruction was provided free to parents and guardians who wanted help earning their high school equivalency diploma.
“The difference in this class than a regular Adult Basic Skills class is the focus on family learning to help children succeed in school and to help ACE participants gain the skills needed to become college or job ready,” Harlow offered.
Partners contributing to the success of the class were:
- Person County Partnership for Children and Person County Department of Social Services – assisted by providing free weekly children’s books and activities during Motheread® sessions, referring potential students including Work First participants, and funding lunches in the EBPS cafeteria for ACE participants.
- TRIO, Educational Opportunity Center – provided backpacks and other school items to encourage literacy activities in the home to continue beyond the end of the ACE class.
- Earl Bradsher Preschool – provided classroom space and assisted with promoting the class.
Twenty-two participants enrolled in ACE during fall semester 2014 – summer semester 2015. The program focused on family literacy, career exploration, and core academics to prepare students for high school equivalency testing and contextualized instruction related to life and work.
ACE family literacy classes are scheduled to begin again on Wednesday, September 9th. Classes will meet Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Earl Bradsher Preschool. Contact Cortney Morrow, ACE Instructor/Coordinator, or Sylvia Gault, Adult Basic Skills Secretary, at (336) 322-2155 to register for fall classes.
Photo left to right: Karina Martinez, Brenda Martinez, Donna King, Motheread Facilitator, Victoria Cornelio, and Maria Anaya.
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