Toward Local Service Improvement and Community Literacy Advancement
A literacy coalition located in New York, consisting of more than 36 local organizations, is dedicated to improving literacy within the county. Through various service offerings, the collective addresses the literacy needs of people of all ages, including in areas such as basic, workforce, computer, health, and financial literacy. The coalition partnered with Hezel Associates to conduct a needs assessment aimed at identifying gaps in community-based literacy services, barriers to service delivery, and best practices in literacy interventions.
Through a collaborative, community-centered approach, Hezel Associates identified minor discrepancies between local existing practices and ideal conditions cited in the literature. More importantly, however, barriers to literacy programming that significantly impacted service delivery within the county they served were recognized. To help mitigate these challenges, Hezel Associates provided recommendations for strengthening approaches, serving as a starting point for system-wide strategic planning and the re-prioritization of efforts and funding.