Vermont celebrates Adult Education and Literacy Week
Sept. 21, 2022 | By Brian Kravitz
Central Vermont Adult Basic Education has a center at 31 N. Main St. in Waterbury. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
It is truly our honor at Central Vermont Adult Basic Education to provide free adult education and literacy services to Washington, Orange, and Lamoille counties.
This week, Sept. 19-23, is National Adult Education and Literacy Week and we would like to send very special shout-outs to our 380 students, 71 volunteers, and countless benefactors. You are all part of our learning community and we couldn’t do it without you. Thank you!
People often ask what we do at Central Vermont Adult Basic Education and who we support. Most are amazed to learn of our full slate of adult education and literacy offerings because it’s so much more than most imagine. In short, we help adults gain the assets they need for success in family, community, careers, and further education. Those assets can be tangible such as high school credentials and skills in reading, writing, English, and math. They can also be those intangibles like self-advocacy, organization, and time management.
We provide free services to any out-of-school resident of our tri-county service area, age 16+ with skills below a 12th-grade level. We help our students to set and achieve their individual goals. We are truly student-centered in that way.
For instance, someone with a college degree, or even a master’s may come to us and say, “I can’t help my fifth grader with their math homework!” (Most of us have heard or felt that!) Take a picture of your child’s homework, bring it to us, and we’ll help you with the goal to help them. Some may want to take advantage of free college or job training but need refreshers before diving into those courses. Others may want to master the art of business emails so they can get a promotion at work. Those are just a few of our students’ goals.
The vast majority of our students are from “vulnerable populations,” meaning those with significant barriers to employment. Last year, our students were: 29% BIPOC/non-white; 54% female; 60% with at least one disability; 57% unemployed; 71% without a high school credential. In fact, in our service area alone there are 6,600 out-of-school adults age 18+ without a high school credential. In addition, 24-38% are graduating without the proficiencies they need to advance in careers and education. As one politician recently exclaimed, “That’s our workforce shortage right there!”
For thousands of Vermonters, adult education is the first step in their quest to better their lives. We are integral to solving the workforce shortage and making a major dent on the root causes of generational poverty. We are here to help you set and achieve your goals.
Jennifer, a recent high school graduate, said it in a way we never could:
“I realized that getting my high school diploma at the age of 50 was also terrifying, and I did it...after all these years of hiding, avoiding conversations about high school, having to work twice as hard as my colleagues who had degrees to get where I am today ... l finished high school….The hardest part of this journey was getting out of my own way and believing in myself, knowing that I am in fact, smart enough, and worthy of an education.”
We are all worthy, so for Adult Education and Literacy Week give us a call, or tell a friend, family member, or colleague about us. We can all dream, believe, learn, and achieve.
Call 802-476-4588 or email info@cvabe.org.
Waterbury resident Brian Kravitz is Development and Outreach Director at Central Vermont Adult Basic Education, which has six education centers in the region including in Waterbury at 31 N. Main St., 802-244-8765.