Cheryl Kelley of Logan County Adult Education was notified on Friday, Sept. 28 that the Adult Education program was awarded a grant of $15,000. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education and managed by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, this grant is part of a national effort to provide increased access to civics programs. Civics program curriculum concentrates on U.S. History and government, rights and responsibilities of citizenship, local civic participation and the naturalization procedures.
It will be used to help immigrant students gain their American citizenship. Within the state of KY only 20 counties were eligible to apply. Sharyl Markham, ELL (formerly known as ESL) Instructor, received an email asking if Logan County would be interested in expanding its educational base. “This is quite an exciting opportunity,” stated Markham. “For the first time we will be able to offer civics classes to the English Language Learner student that want to become an American citizen.”
In addition to scheduling five additional classes, this grant has created an assistant position. The monies will cover all curriculum and course materials, allowing Logan County Adult Education to offer these additional classes at no cost to the students. The new classes are scheduled to begin near the end of October. Three of these classes will be held at the Professional Development building at 121 Spring Street. Two more classes will be offered off-site at locations to be determined.
Currently, in Logan County, there is no central location an immigrant can turn to for information on becoming a citizen. There are agencies and lawyers that can help with parts of the process. Logan County Literacy Program is looking at creating that central location. “The long range goal for the Adult Learning Center is to become a resource center that can present a clear path toward citizenship,” says Markham. “We have the opportunity to apply each year and develop a program to work in conjunction with other local agencies.”
If you are interested in attending these classes or know of someone who is, please contact Logan County Adult Education at 270-726-8777. Logan Count Adult Literacy is a non-profit agency that is partially funded by a grant from United Way of Southern Kentucky.