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Kenosha Literacy Council asks CDBG for adult literacy and ESL expansion; reports measurable gains
Summary
The Kenosha Literacy Council presented adult education and English‑language programs, reporting growth to 556 learners this year, strong level gains for regular participants and volunteer capacity of 120 tutors. The Council requested funds to support orientation, standardized testing and a program coordinator.
Cheryl Hernandez, director of the Kenosha Literacy Council, told the committee the Council serves adult learners with basic literacy and English language programs, civic education and job‑readiness classes. Hernandez said the Council served 556 learners this year from more than 40 countries, provided over 10,000 hours of instruction and relies on roughly 120 trained volunteer tutors.
The Council reported that 64% of learners who received at least 60 hours of instruction advanced at least one education level and that nearly all students in the citizenship class leave prepared to pass the civics portion of the U.S. naturalization test. Hernandez described hybrid programming (in‑person and virtual) and a civics curriculum aimed at improving functional English and navigation of community systems such as health care, schooling and employment.
Committee members asked about scale (the 18% adult literacy figure for Kenosha), how many additional learners could be served with the request (the Council estimated the application would enable roughly 125 new learners), the $5,000 grant‑expense line item and virtual‑tutor capacity (5–6 tutors for a dozen students). The Council said it seeks to expand outreach through partnerships (KUSD, Gateway Technical College) and that it can accommodate new enrollees within weeks rather than maintain a fixed waitlist.
