The Foundation, in partnership with the Morgan Hill Rotary Club, has supported the Reading Program offered by the Library District by providing materials for the workshops and kinesthetic kits. The Reading Program is a free service of the Santa Clara County Library District which helps qualifying adults improve their basic reading, writing, math, and computer skills. Individual pairs of volunteer tutors and learners meet together at every SCCLD community library. Tutors support learners working toward a wide range of goals from mastering basic phonics and grammar rules, to obtaining a California driver’s license or launching a successful job search.
Testimonials from the Reading Programs Tutors and Students
FROM: Nathalie Jackson | Literacy Specialist Santa Clara County Library District | Reading Program | www.sccl.org Gilroy Library | 350 W Sixth Street, Gilroy, CA 95020 (408) 848-5366 x 3446 01/2018 - from Gilroy Reading Program Literacy Specialist “Teresa came into the program with a career goal. She already had a job working in retail, but she didn’t like the part time work and low pay. Teresa had a definite goal – she wanted to work for the school district, but she didn’t have the skills needed to get the job. So, with fierce determination, she practiced typing, computer skills, reading, speaking, listening and writing…you name it, and Teresa was on it. Despite the hard work with her tutor and loads of independent study, Teresa didn’t get the job the first time she applied. Nor did she the second time. But, after each setback, Teresa refused to give up and continued her study. The third time she applied, Teresa was hired…but her story doesn’t end there. Teresa has her sights set on continued advancement and is now working toward a new ambitious goal, getting a GED. Teresa really shows us the power of letting your goals set your priorities in life and what can be achieved by someone who has the grit to never, ever give up, even when things don’t go her way.” 03/2019 – from Morgan Hill Reading Program tutor “Denise has worked very hard and has been hired for a full time job in Morgan Hill. She has reached almost all her goals. Her confidence has soared throughout this last year. I believe this program has helped her tremendously. She is so excited to have her first job in the U.S. Tutoring Denise was a very rewarding experience for me and I look forward to meeting my next student.” 10/2019 – from Morgan Hill Reading Program tutors re Kinesthetic Tool Kits funded by MH Rotary “I have used the kinesthetic kit with my students. I like the green dice. When my students read something for homework and we meet up again they roll the dice to see what part of the story they will retell. It is a fun way to check on my students’ comprehension. I haven't used much else for now, but having the hands on options makes learning really fun. We will try Bananagrams with my more advanced student.” - Gretchen ”I can tell you that I found the kit extremely helpful with Eleonor. We used the banana bag of letters at each meeting, and I think it helped reinforce with her what the letters looked like. We used a few of the other tools as well, but the banana bag was the most helpful and the one we used the most.” - Patricia