Elgin - Literacy Link South Central

Report for 2008-2010Having an annual Literacy Service Planning Report that indicates it’s for two years isconfusing. However, there is a good reason! Literacy Service Planning is both a look behindat the year just finished and a look ahead to the coming year. As a literacy community, weanalyze the data from the year just completed, and we use that data to plan for the serviceswe think we need to provide in the year ahead. For this reason, even though the report is anannual product, it often encompasses information that spans two planning years.As was mentioned earlier, this year’s report is focused on displaced workers and the impactof increasing numbers of displaced workers on the literacy system. Fortunately, all Literacyand Basic Skills programs and support organizations (like regional literacy networks)received additional funding this year (announcement was in June 2009) in order to addressthe increased stress upon the literacy system and to create more spaces for adult literacylearners. As a result of these two forces – increased demand for services and increasedfunding to address them – this year’s Literacy Service Planning Report will have foursections:1. A Western Region Literacy Service Planning Report that outlines the higher levelimpacts of the literacy delivery system in Western Ontario, the additional servicesthat have been provided through the additional funding, and a snapshot of thecapacity of literacy programs in the western part of Ontario. This piece wasdeveloped to assist decision makers and policy makers who may not have time toread all the individual Literacy Service Reports that are developed on acounty-by-county basis.2. A chart of literacy services that will be provided in Elgin County with the annualresources that were traditionally made available to providers (before the fundingincrease).3. Next is a chart that outlines the additional services that literacy providers put inplace as a result of the additional funding they received in June/09. This additionalfunding was for the balance of this fiscal year. If additional funding is not receivedagain in 2009/2010, then the services outlined in this chart may not be provided in10/11.4. Finally, each community has identified additional community literacy needs thatneed to be addressed in order to assist Ontarians in reaching their individual goalsand to contribute to a robust labour market.6