Jennifer Musser - Learning is a Family Thing

Hello! My name is Jennifer Musser, and I’m currently serving my first year as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Washtenaw Literacy in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Washtenaw Literacy aims to provide free literacy support to community adults who wish to improve their basic skills, educational prospects, and workforce readiness. For that purpose, we partner with Washtenaw Community College, the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti District Libraries, the county jail, and a host of other agencies and sites in order to reach adults wherever they are across Washtenaw County.
 
Even in their homes.
 
Of all the Washtenaw Literacy programs I have had the chance to serve in, by far the most eye-opening and rewarding has been LIFT — Learning is a Family Thing. This initiative, which only just started in September 2018, is a personal tutoring program for low-income, low-literate parents of pre-kindergarten children. It is based on the premise that improving the literacy of parents is the best way to improve the literacy of their children, and to break the cycle of low educational attainment and poverty.
 
It seems so obvious when you hear it, yet very few programs address this issue by directly supporting parents in their efforts to improve their own knowledge and skills. Perhaps that’s because funding sources are more sympathetic to children than adults, and certainly it seems true that when we discuss adult education we tend to focus on employment over family literacy. Still, working with LIFT has shown me that there’s much more to this issue than either of those points. Low-income parents of young children face barriers most adult educational programming isn’t prepared to handle, the main two being childcare and transportation. Even if the program has the capacity to pay for childcare, there is no guarantee the parent has reasonable access to transportation, especially with their children in tow. Thus, Washtenaw Literacy designed LIFT to bring tutors directly into adult learners’ homes for lessons, making it convenient for families who have young children and may face transportation challenges.
 
For me personally, coordinating this program has meant the opportunity to build, maintain, and grow community partnerships with agencies like the Washtenaw Intermediate School District’s Early Head Start program as well as local preschools and other organizations. It has also been a great experience in the recruitment, training, and management of volunteers who — by nature of where they are serving and who they are working with — must be held to a higher standard than even the typical Washtenaw Literacy volunteer tutor. I can feel myself growing and adjusting constantly as new possibilities and needs emerge.
 
I am exceptionally proud to be serving with LIFT and Washtenaw Literacy. Everybody agrees that literacy and education are key factors in the employment and economic achievement of adults. However, research also shows us that the number one indicator of a child’s success in school is the literacy of their parents. If we want to get serious about meeting these issues head on, we have to include the parents.