A ribbon cutting ceremony will mark the official grand opening of the Literacy Network’s new southside learning center on Wednesday, Oct. 26.
The celebration will begin at 4:30 p.m. with comments from Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and Madison College President Jack Daniels III. “We have a few other speakers lined up, as well, who will be talking about the impact of Literacy Network,” Jeff Burkhart, executive director of Literacy Network, tells Madison365. “We will have a couple of our students who will talk about the impact that Literacy Network has had on them and the support that they’ve received.”
Literacy Network is a non-profit organization founded in 1974 that teaches reading, writing and speaking skills to Dane County adults so they can achieve financial independence, good health, and greater involvement in community life. They work with teachers, tutors, volunteers and donors to improve adult literacy in Dane County. Their programs help adults find career opportunities, read with children and help with homework, improve computer skills, understand finances, and speak with doctors about health concerns.
“We are really pleased with the partnership that we have with Madison College,” Burkhart says. “The academic tutoring that is happening at Madison College for basic education and ESL students, the research bares out that it’s really important to have individual connections and one-on-one support for folks who have basic skills in order for them to succeed in getting a certificate or a degree from a tech college. So we’re very happy that Dr. Jack Daniels will be at the event.”
Literacy Network’s old place on Park Street had gotten very cramped and crowded. The newly renovated building, the former Wingra Clinic on Madison’s south side, is four times the size of the former location and includes sunny, welcoming, and large classrooms, tutoring spaces, a library, and a dedicated area for childcare.
“We’ve been there for a month and it’s been great to see the reaction of students and tutors and to be able to see that we’ve filled everything up now,” Burkhart says. “Children’s success in school is related to their parents’ literacy level. This larger space will allow us to increase educational outcomes and reduce poverty for more families. This will help the entire community.
“We have 730 people in our programs and we are happy to see that number but we also have a waiting list of 114 people right now,” he adds. “So, the next phase of our campaign really has to be about building capacity so we can grow enough to meet those needs.”
There are 55,000 adults across Dane County, or 1 in 7, who are struggling with low literacy.
Partner agency Madison-Area Urban Ministry (MUM) will also call the center its new home and will share Literacy Network’s classroom space.
“We are leasing out 2,300 square feet to MUM. They have been a great tenant and we share a couple of classrooms with them,” Burkhart says. “It’s all about collaboration and helping to support the community and I anticipate we’ll have a lot of programmatic connections with them, as well, and more collaborations now that they are in the building.”
Literacy Network has strong partnerships with businesses, libraries, hospitals, clinics, schools, and social service agencies and has built essential community connections for program participants throughout Dane County. The Open House is a chance to show off all of the things that they do.
“We’ll be giving tours and people can just check out what we’ve got going on here,” Burkhart says. “One of our students will be dee-jaying and we’ll have a taco bar set up and some cake. It’s really exciting to see the community support and to know that there are so many folks in the community who are interested in seeing our organization grow.”
