Literacy Efforts
Need Support

September is International Literacy Month, and as a board member of Central Vermont Adult Basic Education, I am writing to acknowledge the literacy gains being made in our region.

The Vermont statistics of illiteracy are staggering:

According to the 2000 Census 89,100 Vermonters under age 60 did not complete high school. (Vermont Economic-Demographic Profile: Central Vermont, Vermont Dept. of Employment and Training, 2005).

On average, a high school dropout has an annual income that is 27% lower than a high school graduate’s annual income. (The Social Well-Being of Vermonters 2005, Vermont Agency of Human Services).

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 defines literacy as "an individual's ability to read, write, compute, and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual and in society."

The literacy demands of the 21st century are significantly different from earlier times.  We live in a world where our individual lives and the functioning of our knowledge-based society require that adults have sophisticated literacy skills.

Headquartered at the Barre Learning Center, with an outreach center in Randolph, Central Vermont Adult Basic Education serves more than 700 adults and teens annually, currently ranging in age from 16 to 93, to provide them with free, individualized instruction in reading, writing, math, English, and basic computer applications.

CVABE advocates throughout Washington, Orange and Lamoille Counties on behalf of literacy and high school completion as a necessary ingredient for healthy communities. CVABE's work is pivotal for Vermont's urgent promotion of an educated workforce in the face of technological advances and the "aging" of available workers. Through its learning centers, CVABE staff and volunteers reach into each town and village, every corner of the three counties, offering literacy instruction and support to students and communities.

Ben Koenig

CVABE Board of Directors

Plainfield