ADVANCE YOUR CAREER
Certified Literate Community Program
The greatest barrier to economic development and growth is the absence of a literate workforce. The Georgia solution for reaching adults effectively is the Certified Literate Community Program (CLCP). Created in 1990 by the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and the Georgia Council on Adult Literacy (GCAL), CLCP asks a community to establish a non-profit collaborative to promote, support and enhance community literacy efforts locally. Communities participating in the program analyze community needs, create awareness of the needs, ensure that learning opportunities are offered and evaluate progress so that the majority of citizens needing to improve their skills do so within 10 years. A network is formed to coordinate business, church, volunteer, social service, local government and schools, media and other efforts in the community to reach, influence and support those who want to improve their education.
There are 60 CLCPs encompassing 74 counties and 2 cities. Those 60 programs are made up of 38 CLCP Participants (first level of certification) and 22 Certified Literate Communities (second level of certification). The 38 Participants collectively have made the commitment to serve 269,456 individuals. The 22 Certified Literate Communities had a collective numerical goal of 128,401 and served 174,618. Every one exceeded their goal and most did it in less than 10 years. Annually, CLCPs secure approximately $2 million for their programs and an additional $1 million in in-kind resources.
CLCPs have provided the funding to build adult learning centers, they address transportation and child care needs, provide materials, equipment, tutors, additional class locations and GED scholarships. CLCPs manage local “Dictionary Projects”, after school homework programs and school reading initiatives. They work with students in high school to prevent drop-outs. They promote adult literacy services, recruit and retain adult literacy students in the classes and provide a support system to students and literacy providers alike. Communities with CLCPs have more workplace programs as well as higher enrollment, higher retention rates and more graduations for adult education students.
CLCPs are about economic development, workplace skills, parents able to help their children with their homework, people able to understand and follow prescription medicine directions for themselves and their children, being able to read a map or road sign, immigrants acquiring English language skills and anyone acquiring computer skills. CLCP is about lifelong learning and acquiring a new skill at any point in life.
In its implementation, the CLCP has shown that communities can influence citizens to improve their individual lives, while they make their communities better places to work and live. The Certified Literate Community Program is proving that given a sense of mission and direction, a community can become a powerful, self-managed force for literacy.