South San Francisco Only City in Bay Area Chosen to Offer Spanish Literacy Program

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The South San Francisco Public Library was selected as one of twenty libraries across California to join a pilot program - Leamos @ the Library. Leamos, translated as Let's Read @ The Library, is a literacy program aimed at helping native Spanish speakers improve their reading and writing in Spanish.

"When native Spanish speakers are taking English classes, they encounter difficulty when their primary language skills are minimal," said Marta Bookbinder, South San Francisco Literary Services Coordinator. "By offering this program to our residents, it will increase their native language literacy, which will reduce the difficulty of learning English in the long run."

The pilot program is supported by a grant awarded by the James Irvine Foundation to Centro Latino to explore partnerships with public libraries. "In a state which gained a Latino plurality [in 2014], it seems at a minimum good common sense to encourage programs like Leamos," said Greg Lucas, California State Librarian. "Without literacy skills in their native language, proficiency in English becomes significantly harder, if not impossible, to attain."

The program offers an innovative online course free for one year, including personalized assistance with a tutor trained on the materials used. With assistance from the South San Francisco Public Library, local Spanish speakers who never had opportunity to attend school, will now be able to learn, read, and write in Spanish to give them the foundational skills, and confidence to learn English, read with their children, gain better employment, and more fully engage in their communities.

This two year program will allow the 20 libraries participating in the pilot to develop a Leamos toolbox of materials and best practices to guide future libraries interested in implementing Leamos @ the Library.

Calling for native Spanish speakers who want to be volunteer tutors!

The South San Francisco Public Library is looking for tutors. The volunteer tutors will help the student navigate the online program and will monitor the writing aspect with appropriate handouts provided. The tutors will be able to answer questions, reaffirm the learning gains, encourage the learner to persevere, and look at the learner's progress results to guide his/her success.

"Assisting someone to develop higher literacy levels so that they can learn English, complete applications, and help their children with the school work is equivalent to taking off blindfolds from their eyes," adds Bookbinder.

– SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION BY: City of South San Francisco. (Image via Shutterstock)