SHARING RESOURCES
Besides providing services for clients and cross-agency referrals, partners do presentations for adult learners, promote services provided by other agencies, serve on advisory boards, and provide office space for staff from other agencies to work directly with clients. Partners say the "intermingling" of their resources is important. For example, DVR might pay the rent for part of the office and DOL might pay for a service or a staff member working in that office, providing services to shared clients. Mailings are often shared as well, with one agency supplying the mailing list, another the letter or materials, and a third the postage.
North Idaho College helps pay the rent for all of the adult education sites. It also pays the director's salary and benefits and contributes office equipment. Since the Center does not have to use grant money for these expenditures, those funds can go toward direct services to learners. The Presbyterian Church also provides savings for the Center by renting its space at $.50 per square foot instead of the market rate of $1.00 per square foot.
Professional development also is shared whenever possible. Instructors from all outreach centers and from all partners are invited to participate in any professional development offered by the Adult Education Center. The state Adult Education Department collaborates with adult education directors across the state, providing professional development for program directors and instructors, or in some cases, paying for locally designed professional development. Partner organizations share a concern about the quality of instruction, and professional development activities are a means of improving all of the adult education programs in the region. Sharing professional development activities produces two major benefits. All agencies save money and they can help each other identify and address common areas for improvement.
