ON DEMAND
Waiting List Grows for Literacy Students
More volunteer tutors are needed

By Christy Brothers/ info@longislandernews.com

The US Department of Education conducted a survey that found 21-23 percent of adult Americans do not have the literacy skills needed to fully function in society. In Suffolk County, 14 percent of adults have limited or no literacy skills.

With over 600 students waiting for a tutor, Literacy Suffolk is looking for volunteers to help adults improve their literacy in Suffolk County.

“We look for someone who is committed to helping someone speak, write and read in English,” said Carol Mauro, Education Director for Literacy Suffolk in Bellport. The volunteer must complete a 24-hour training workshop, which trains the tutor in basic literacy for English speakers and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). Workshops are offered during the day or night in libraries across the county, said Mauro.

“Our policy is the tutoring needs to be done in a library,” said Mauro. In the basic literacy program the tutor meets one-on-one with the student once a week for about two hours. In the ESOL program the tutor meets once a week with three to four students. This is because speaking is taught first to non-English speakers and the students are able to have conversations with one another during the tutoring sessions, said Mauro.

In libraries across the county there is an adult literacy collection available to tutors, but the amount of resources varies. “We’re just trying to build a collection,” said Karen Baudouin, reference librarian at Smithtown Public Library. “We have very few items and are trying to create space for them. We are just in the starting stages.”

All students must be 16 years old and out of school. A student must also complete an application, which can be done over the phone, online or at any public library. After the application is completed, Literacy Suffolk Inc. arranges an interview. “We have a very good idea of their skill level,” said Mauro.

Literacy Suffolk was established in 1978. During the 2003-2004 fiscal year there were 849 volunteers that helped 1,378 students. Since 1978, there have been over 17,000 volunteers and students. “We do have a lot of tutors coming in, it’s growing,” said Baudouin. “There is definitely a need to spend more money in that area.”

“We teach the skills based on the subjects the learner needs. The more experienced a tutor becomes, the tutor will create materials,” said Mauro. A student will set a goal such as being able to pass a driver’s test or fill out a job application and the tutor will focus on that.

“It’s not always clear what the content of tutoring session is, but I see more English as a second language tutoring. There’s a growing need for it,” said Baudouin. There are upcoming workshops in Middle Country Library (Selden branch), Mastic-Moriches-Shirley Library and South Huntington Public Library.