Community Partnerships for Adult Learning
Building Partnerships Partnership Profiles Self-Assessment Tool What's New About Us Search Home
The ToolBoxCreating CommunitiesCurriculum and InstructionProfessional DevelopmentWorkforce DevelopmentTechnologyProgram ManagementMore Resources
Supported by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education
at the U.S. Department of Education
READ/San Diego
Highlights
Introduction
Background
READ/San Diego And Its Partners
Conclusion
Sample Volunteer Job Descriptions
Complete Profile (PDF, 645kb)
Return to Summary

HIGHLIGHTS

READ/San Diego is the largest volunteer-based adult literacy program serving the San Diego area. A library-based program and a service of both the San Diego Public Library and the San Diego County Library, READ/San Diego offers individual, workplace, and family literacy instruction, as well as GED preparation, through a broad network of partnerships.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS IN SAN DIEGO. . .

  • County and city branch libraries all over the San Diego area work with READ/San Diego to bring literacy services to their neighborhoods.

  • Local employers, including city departments, choose READ/San Diego for work-based literacy training.

  • Social service and healthcare providers work with READ/San Diego to bring literacy services to where their clients live.

  • Neighborhood faith-based organizations provide learners, tutors, and facilities for READ/San Diego's literacy services.

  • Starbucks Coffee shops host family literacy programs, provide free coffee to tutors and learners meeting in Starbucks shops, run book drives, and encourage their staff to be tutors.

AND WHY THEY WORK. . .

  • State funds provide seed money. City and county libraries can obtain up to five years of funding to start a library-based literacy program.

  • Partners are chosen carefully. READ/San Diego seeks partners that can provide the right mix of resources for success—and evaluates partnerships regularly to be sure they are working well.

  • Extensive support and professional development for volunteer tutors helps ensure quality. READ/San Diego provides many opportunities for training and professional development for its volunteer tutors and continually monitors their work.

  • A dynamic leader insists on continuous improvement. READ/San Diego's director makes sure resources are adequate and staff are highly trained (and cross-trained).

  • Adaptability and flexibility permit creativity. READ/San Diego uses data and strategic planning to adapt to changing community needs, and the program is creative in finding partners, for example, Starbucks Coffee.

  • A strong financial base provides stability. READ/San Diego is part of the city library. Adequate funding from the city, county, California State Library, and private donors, supplemented by fees collected for work-based literacy services, gives READ/San Diego the resources it needs to thrive, recruit new partners, and expand services.

  • Reciprocal relationships enable the partners to reach more learners. READ/San Diego needs its partners to reach adult learners where they live and work, and READ/San Diego's partners need the professional services READ/San Diego provides.