ASU Literacy Center
Augusta State University's Born to Read Literacy Center
The purpose of the Literacy Center is to deliver literacy-related community services such as individual tutoring to learners of all ages, summer literacy camps, literacy sponsored plays, and much more.
ASU Literacy Center
According to national figures, four million adults in the United States can neither sign their own names nor do other rudimentary tasks. According to Georgia’s Task Force on Adult Literacy, one out of three adult Georgians is functionally illiterate. Moreover, in the Augusta area alone, there are more than 65,000 adults whose basic educational levels are less than those of the average eighth grader. These citizens have difficulty performing everyday tasks that most adults take for granted. This may include shopping, reading signs on the roads and buses, and completing job applications.
The Literacy Center seeks to help people achieve success in any academic area by helping them acquire and master basic skills vital to any level of success and learn to love to read. Clients come from all over the CSRA. The ASU Literacy Center recruits volunteers to tutor children, youth and adults. The Center helps clients learn to read and improve achievement in academic subjects in addition to reading.
Clients
Adult
tutoring takes place on the “adult only day” to allow clearer focus on achieving
the tasks at hand.
Traditional student tutoring of elementary through high school age students takes place fours days each week. (4:00 to 8:00) Clients need to register for sessions. If a client must miss a session, it is expected that the Center office will be notified well in advance. Given the desire to keep tutor/client ratio down, the number of clients is limited. It is hoped that each client and tutor will build a helping relationship focused on meeting the needs of each client.
Tutors
Most of the tutors come from the students of Augusta State University’s College of Education. All tutors are volunteers who give of their time in addition to taking courses. In addition to community volunteers, tutors are undergraduates or graduate students seeking Masters or Specialist degrees. The Center seeks community volunteers to serve as tutors. Prior to serving, potential tutors are trained and made aware of the procedures, methods and resources of the Literacy Center. Training is provided by the director of the Center and the volunteer coordinator. Those interested in learning about tutoring should call the Center office: 706-733-7043.
Operational Issues
The Center is staffed by a certified teacher to ensure quality in all areas. He will arrange sessions and circulate during the sessions. Sessions run from 4:00- 8:00 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Serving Adults
On Wednesdays, the Center primarily serves adults, under the direction of a certified teacher. Clients use materials produced by the Laubach Reading Program addition to books, current magazines and newspapers. The Center treats each client with dignity, and realizes the courage required to seek out this help. Individual programs are set up to meet the needs of each adult client.
