September 21-26 is National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week. At the Chester Addison Community Center in Stamford, Family Centers’ tutors work to provide necessary literacy and English language skills to adults living in the Greenwich area.
“We offer E.S.L. programs, financial literacy, we have an E.L. Civics Programs, and a Transition to Success Program, which is a career pathways program,” said Lucia Cook.
Family Centers’ Literacy Volunteer Program serves over 700 students each year.
“35 percent of our students don’t have a high school education. Five percent have zero o three years of education. low literacy and low education levels are is a problem,” said Cook.
Program Manager Lucia Cook says the classes are anywhere from six to ten students and center around what each individual wants to learn.
“Our students are here to get a better life. They want to improve their job situation. They want to be able to support their children in school. They want to become engaged citizens,” said Cook.
Cook says students come from all over the world like China, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and Poland, like Aneta Rostek. She relocated from Poland when her husband got a job here in America.
“It was my goal to find a job here. My first short term goal was to improve my English skills,” said Rostek.
She took a Transition to Success class where she learned job interview and computer skills.
“Because of the program, my life is totally different. I’m happy as a worker, I’m happy as a mom. It’s a greta program with great opportunities,” said Rostek.
For more information on volunteering or the Literacy Program, visit www.familycenters.org.
