Dear Friend,
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On 11/22/16, NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) conducted a monitoring visit to our Adult Literacy ESOL program. I am pleased to share with you that, in a 12/1/16 report, DYCD found the performance of our program to be rated as "Excellent."
JCCGCI's Adult Literacy program operates under a unique model in which we partner with community-based organizations in low-income immigrant communities throughout the five boroughs of NYC and offer English language instruction where alternative adequate resources are not available. Over the course of the past years, we have partnered with over forty (40) community-based organizations representing a myriad of ethnicities. DYCD has described our model as "remarkable." [Thanks to DYCD support, one of our most recent new additions is our Adult Literacy site serving the Liberian community of Staten Island].
Please join me in congratulating Rivkah Berman, Director of our Vocational and Adult Literacy programs, along with her dedicated and skilled staff, for this impressive achievement.
Comments from DYCD included the following -
* Timeliness - Required documents are submitted in a timely manner. Program informed DYCD of changes in scheduling, staffing and programming in a timely fashion. Keep up the good work.
* Performance Quality - The staff is knowledgeable and well-equipped to run this program. The administrative procedures are adequate to support the program. Program is in compliance with contract requirements. Keep up the good work.
* Record Keeping - Record keeping is organized and systematic. All required documents were presented and in order. Keep up the good work.
* Staff Development - The Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island has a long history of providing technical assistance to other not-for-profits in the areas of administrative, fiscal and technological management, and their staff recognizes the importance of continuously learning from experts and colleagues in all fields. Keep up the excellent job.
* Program Design and Content - The Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island [JCCGCI] firmly believes that literacy is not a luxury. All people are entitled to be able to function in society and are entitled to their personal learning styles. They [JCCGCI] offer classes in English Language / Civics (Citizenship) Instruction, provide English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and citizenship training directly to immigrants and refugees to help ameliorate their integration into American society. JCCGCI's Adult Literacy program assists adults who are not literate in English and who lack a high school degree to gain the literacy, knowledge and skills for employment and self-sufficiency.
* Classroom Observation - The instructor was friendly, pleasant and energetic. He had great rapport with his students, and he frequently ensured that they understood the content/material and got individualized attention. The materials used were appropriate for the students, and the learning environment was comfortable. Keep up the best practices and excellent instruction.
* Overall Comments -- Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island is very well managed. The [Adult Literacy] program is in compliance with contract requirements. Classes have maintained good average daily attendance. Documents are organized and filed systematically. The curriculum is detailed, and it reflects the program philosophy. Staff development is systematically implemented. The teacher uses innovative and creative strategies that make instruction effective and relevant to students.
This concludes quotations from DYCD's Site Visit Summary.
Thank you for your concern for and support of JCCGCI's impressive, high-quality Adult Literacy initiatives, along with our other programmatic responses to the numerous and diverse social and human service needs of the frail elderly, disadvantaged poor, the immigrants, educationally at-risk youth and the vocationally challenged residents of our communities, citywide.
Rabbi Moshe Wiener
Executive Director
