LITERACY VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA(LVA)

PROGRAM: Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA)
AGENCY: Broward County Public Schools--LVA Broward County Full Affiliate Vocational, Adult and Community Education (VACE)
CONTACT: Neeta E. Rancourt, VACE Curriculum Specialist

Ruthann Martin, VACE Resource Teacher (954) 765-6619

HISTORY:
Literacy Volunteers of America was founded in 1962 by Ruth Colvin to combat illiteracy in Syracuse, NY. Mrs. Colvin worked with professional reading consultants to develop a training workshop that would equip volunteers to tutor adults in basic reading and writing. In 1967, Literacy Volunteers of America was chartered in NY as a non-profit corporation with a volunteer Board of Directors. Through the years, grants from the U.S. Office of Education provided LVA opportunities for further expansion throughout the country. In 1980, grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities funded the development of a new reading series for learners. The Charles Steward Mott Foundation awarded a grant to LVA in 1984 to work with the Community Education network nationwide, resulting in the establishment of local literacy programs in new areas. In subsequent years, grants from GTE, Eastman Kodak, Kraft, Exxon, The New York Life Foundation, and Coors Brewing Company assisted LVA in improving services and products, (including developing videos), funding pilot projects and researching literacy. By 1992, the total number of LVA affiliates passed 450. Broward County Public Schools became an affiliate in 1994.

SCOPE OF PROGRAM:
The Vocational, Adult and Community Education Department provides 18-hours of training for volunteers—FREE of charge. Training sessions are conducted a minimum of three times annually. Training sessions are held at various locations throughout Broward County with materials provided to the participants at no cost.
Potential volunteers are recruited via an advertisement in the BROWARD EDUCATOR: Guide to Technical, Adult and Community Education Classes (a publication of Broward County Public Schools), flyers distributed at strategic locations, and by word of mouth. Trained tutors are matched with students who are identified by a teacher in the adult and community education classes as needing extra help via an individual tutor.

FUNDING:
The LVA program is funded by the Broward County Public Schools’ Adult and Family Literacy Grant from the Florida Department of Education.

ELIGIBILITY:
to all Broward residents. No fee.

FEE:
There is no cost to the volunteer for the training or materials.

Literacy Coalition of Broward County
1350 E. Sunrise Blvd. Suite 118 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33305
Fax:

Tutor hotline:
(Volunteer Broward)
To find out how to become a tutor

Student hotline:
(First Call for Help)
To refer a student to free literacy programs in Broward County

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