Beginning A Literacy Program
by Nancy Woods
Director, Adult Literacy Action
Pennsylvania State University

 

BEGINNING A LITERACY PROGRAM ASSESSING THE NEED PROGRAM STRUCTURE BUILDING A PROGRAM MONEY MATTERS RECRUITMENT PROMOTION TRAINING HORIZONS

MONEY MATTERS Budgeting Your program will need to take into consideration several budget areas, and then decide what will be real, out-of-pocket costs and what might be handled by volunteers or in-kind contributions. Line items to consider include: Administrative salaries Supervisory staff salaries Instructional salaries (teachers, trainers) Guidance and counseling salaries (professional testing, assessment) Secretarial salaries Fringe benefit packages Textbooks and materials Audio-visual equipment Rental or purchase of other equipment Facilities Telephone Travel Mail/copier costs Miscellaneous (awards, plaques, annual banquet, etc.) One note on instructional materials: a policy should be determined about who should pay for books. In some cases, literacy programs are able to underwrite the total cost of materials; other programs ask tutors to fund materials; and still other programs ask students to pay a small registration fee. Include in the budget process an accurate record of in-kind contributions. This can be important when a grant mandates a 'match" - that means a percentage of grant monies must be provided, or 'matched" by the grantee. In-kind contributions are often allowed to count toward the match. Consider the following when tracking in-kind contributions: What would it cost per month to rent office and classroom space now made available at no cost by the library, church, community center or school? Total the number of hours volunteer tutors work with students each year and multiply the number of hours by the amount it would cost you to pay a part-time teacherís aide. Be aware of the number of hours counselors, teachers, accountants, public relations managers and other professionals donate each year. Multiply those hours by the hourly rate you might have been charged. If your agency does not have non-profit status, it may be advisable to affiliate with an existing agency and use it as the fiscal agent for your program. You can also operate under that agencyís non-profit status. (If you decide not to go this route, check with a local lawyer about the advisability of applying for non-profit status.) Fundraising Establishing a secure financial base for a literacy program can be one of the most challenging, but also one of the most intimidating responsibilities you encounter. Directors of small literacy programs are usually expected to raise funds to operate their programs as well as to handle a long list of other duties. Many of them have no experience in fundraising, and may have to overcome an attitude that says 'it is not polite to ask." Fundraising does not have to be frightening. The most important skills you bring to this endeavor are your common sense, your knowledge of the needs of your local program and your willingness to work hard and learn from any mistakes you make. Where to begin? Be aware of the resource people in your community who can help you. Ask your legislatorís office to scan the Federal Register and alert you to any literacy grant opportunities. In addition, cultivate a working relationship with the grantwriters for local colleges, adult education programs, intermediate units, county government, vo-tech schools and others. They may be able to subcontract work to you, or at least give you helpful advice. Elsewhere in the community, local county money may be available through block grants and other government sources. Small grants may be available from service clubs, church groups, United Way and others. Local foundations are another resource. Ask the library for a foundation directory and then be selective about which you approach; find those with relevant funding categories and a track record of funding programs similar to yours. Adult education grants may be available through the Sate Department of Education, and if you program is affiliated with a library, through Library Service Construction Act grants. Another possibility is money allocated by the Job Training Partnership Act. Keep in mind that different foundations and agencies have different grant requirements. Some ask for a brief request letter and budget. At the other end of the scale, some require an elaborate narrative, a detailed budget and monthly reporting. When you apply for a grant, be realistic about the time and effort that will be required to administer it. Local businesses may respond to your program if you convince them of the tremendously positive results literacy programs have achieved in the workforce and in the community. Public relations officers in local industries are a good first contact. Other sources of information and advice may be your local bankerís association, the Chamber of Commerce and United Way. As with any activity your program undertakes, community involvement will make your grant proposal stronger and win your program community support at the same time. The local agencies listed earlier in this booklet can provide you with statistics you can use to make your case. An educator can review your narrative to see that your plans are educationally sound. A banker or accountant can help you structure a budget. And anyone who has dealt with you can give you a support letter - the ABE director, the superintendent of schools, a representative of your local newspaper, your programís students and tutors, and others. An excellent and inexpensive overview on grantwriting techniques is entitled, 'Program Planning and Proposal Writing." It is available from its author, Norton J. Kiritz, Executive Director, The Grantsmanship Center, 1031 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90015. Financial Procedures From the moment a literacy program begins, accurate recordkeeping is essential. No program can afford sloppy recordkeeping, and careful financial reporting will give a clear indication of the health of the program. Many programs receive grants from different sources, and every dollar must be tracked as it is spent. Two procedures will help: (1) be sure tutors, volunteers and staff keep timesheets and (2) log and code every money transaction. It is strongly advisable to have an accountant or financial officer help develop a budget system to give your program a clear audit trail. Below is an example of a simple chronological accounting form many programs find helpful: TRANSACTION ITEM VENDOR SOURCE COST #0087 20 ABLE tests Harcourt/Brace DOE $68.00 #0088 'Practice for U.S. Citizenship" B. Dalton ESL 4.95 You may also want to assign a department description code to each source of funding, and a transaction code to help track and categorize activities. For Example: M = Mental Health/Mental Retardation Contract P = PA Department of Education Contract J = Job Training Contract C = Contributions to Program D = Deposit R = Reimbursement to book account or petty cash W = Withdrawal from petty cash Whatever system you set up should provide an easy, well-documented record of your transactions. A complete and updated finance report should be prepared monthly. Another area that can be a source of problems for a literacy program is reporting grant money allocated to salaries. In many cases, percentages of many different grants are allocated to pay teachers and staff, although each teacher and staff member receives only one paycheck. If every paid worker keeps accurate time records for instance, logging hours for an ESL class funded by the Department of Education separately from those for a class funded by JTPA - it will facilitate reporting back to the funders. Formal documentation should not include hours worked over and above the contract agreement for hours per week. Supplemental/overtime income can then be cut on a separate check. Below is a timsheet which demonstrates a division of hours among funders: EXAMPLE: N. Woods JANUARY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Etc. Hrs. for MH/MR 2 1 Hrs. for Vo-Tech 3 Hrs. for JTPA 2 4 2 Hrs. for DOE 4 Hrs. for state literacy 3 Hrs. for university 2 5 As the literacy program moves forward, it will be necessary for the advisory board to evaluate it regularly at weekly, monthly or quarterly meetings. In evaluating the program, the board should ask, for instance: How well have we measured up to our objectives? If not well, why? Are our objectives realistic? Is what we are doing effective? Do we have a good student-tutor balance? What is our feedback from the students, tutors and community? Are the students really learning? How many begin the program, and, of those, how many complete it? Do we have a consistent volunteer structure? Once a program is teaching effectively, three important initiatives will help it grow: student recruitment, tutor recruitment and public awareness.