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Newton County READS is a nonprofit organization established in 2000 to:

  • Help adults in Newton County improve their literacy skills and/or earn a GED certificate through an active volunteer tutoring program.
  • Maintain an ever-expanding list of literacy resources available in Newton County.
  • Help adults find and get started in the literacy programs that most effectively meet their needs.

Newton County READS is also the local chapter of the Georgia Certified Literate Community Program (CLCP). There are approximately 55 participating CLCP Communities in Georgia. This statewide program's mission is: "To mobilize every resource available to a community into an adult literacy campaign that functions within state certification guidelines and will result in a literate community within ten years."


Scrabble-Fest 2009 a success!

1st - Nan Orrock & Barbara Meyer
2nd - Lori & Kali Justus 
3rd - Josephine Kelly & Cathy Dobbs

 

 

Newton READS meets literacy services goal

Crystal Tatum
Staff Reporter


COVINGTON - Newton County could soon become a Certified Literate Community, thanks to the hard work of Newton READS, a local nonprofit adult literacy tutoring program.

Greg Shy, chairman of the Newton READS Board of Directors, announced at Monday night's Covington City Council meeting that the organization has met its goal of providing literacy services to a majority of adults without high school diplomas or GED certificates.

The county is now eligible to become a Certified Literate Community through the Georgia Board of Technical and Adult Education, proving that "we have met the needs of the community," Shy said.

In 2001, Newton County applied to be certified but was not eligible. At that time, 40.3 percent of county residents age 25 years and older had not completed high school or received a GED certificate, according to information provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Newton READS was formed to address this issue, establishing a 10-year goal of providing literacy services to at least half of the 11,938 adult residents with no high school diploma or GED.

Through its various tutoring programs, Newton READS exceeded that goal in just seven years, helping 7,300 individuals, according to Shy.

"The whole county put a real emphasis on literacy and has sustained it over the years," Hodges said, explaining the program's success.

There are approximately 55 Certified Literate Communities in Georgia. The program's mission is to "mobilize every resource available to a community into an adult literacy campaign that functions within state certification guidelines and will result in a literate community within 10 years," according to the its Web site.

Newton County READS is a member of the Newton County Chamber of Commerce.

If you would like more information about Newton County Reads or Georgia CLCPs, please contact:

Janet Hodges, Director
The Cousins Center
8134 Geiger Street
Box 5
Covington, GA 30014
Phone: 678-342-7943
E-mail: newtoncountyreads@earthlink.net

NEWTON COUNTY FAMILY LITERACY HOTLINE
ENGLISH: (404) 539-9618
SPANISH 1-(706) 613-1603 ext. 223
HOURS: anytime
LIVE OPERATOR 9-5 PM, M-F

updated 4-20-09


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