2014 – 2015 Annual Report Mission
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2014 – 2015 Annual Report Mission Dear friends, According to research commissioned by the National Institute of Health, “A mother’s reading skill is the greatest determinant of her children’s future academic success, outweighing other factors, such as neighborhood and family income.” By teaching low-income, undereducated women to read, write, speak and advocate for themselves and their families, we are leveraging one of the most powerful tools of social change—women. This past year, Mercy Learning Center welcomed 881 women. Each woman was seeking to irrevocably transform her life by getting an education. With your support, we provided our distinctly holistic and supportive literacy and life skills programs to hundreds of women and their families. This report chronicles the many efforts and accomplishments of our students, volunteers, donors and staff. Thank you. Our work continues: together, we can empower entire communities with education—one woman at a time. With gratitude, Jane E. Ferreira Cathy Ritch President & CEO Chair, Board of Directors Mercy Learning Center of Bridgeport, Inc. provides basic literacy and life skills training to low income women using a holistic approach within a compassionate, supportive environment. All women are welcome without regard for race, religion, color, creed, sexual orientation or national origin. “I see education Since 1987 Mercy Learning Center has educated and supported over 10,000 as key to ending poverty. If we can women. By helping our students to realize what they are truly capable of educate everyone achieving, MLC empowers them to transform their lives and the lives of to the level that they their families. should be educated, societies change, communities change, cities are rebuilt.” – Jane 1 A Diverse and Caring Community 881 Women Students 226 1065 Volunteer Donors Tutors A Diverse and Caring Community 169 Children 222 ages Other 3 months – Volunteers 4 years 17 Full-time 27 Part-time “The Best Class I’ve Ever Had” Staff Every fall since she started teaching at Mercy Learning Center, Mary Beth Clayton declares, “This is the best class I’ve ever had!” Last year however, she insisted it truly was the best class in her 12 years of teaching the Adult Basic Education Level I class at MLC. Why was last year’s class so special? “The diversity.” 2014-15 Students: The 37 women in Mary Beth’s class came from 14 countries around the world. Each day, Student enrollment has they gathered in the sunny third-floor classroom, sitting at round tables piled with books, • 881 women increased 67% in five years notebooks, calculators, pens and pencils. Together the women developed a common • Ages 17 - 93 language, English, working hard to learn new vocabulary, develop their writing and reading 881 skills, and become confident English speakers. • 97% low-income 854 • 95% mothers or primary caregivers of children But as Mary Beth explains, this class became so much more than a simple grouping of 770 learners: “They created very strong friendships, across languages, ethnicities, ages and • 51 different home countries stations in life.” Cultural differences and commonalities proved a rich well of conversation • 68% Hispanic/Latina; topics throughout the year. When guests and donors visited the class, students took great 21% Black/African American; 626 pride in raising their hands and naming the countries of the other students: Mexico, Congo, 8% Asian; 3% White; Iraq, Colombia, Brazil, Haiti, Syria, Vietnam… less than 1% American Indian/Alaskan Native. 529 The women in Mary Beth’s class also represented a diversity of ages, ranging from 20 to 64. 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 The older women in the class naturally took on the role of mentor to the younger women, offering marital or parenting advice and encouraging the younger women to stay focused on their learning. “Each woman in this large, diverse class really challenged her fellow classmates There is more need for women’s and family literacy than ever... to become better students, to speak English all day long, and to be contributing 1 in 5 women in Bridgeport does not have a high school diploma members of the family that they formed,” reflects Mary Beth. “This group succeeded in motivating each other to appreciate the gift of education that MLC offers.” 1 in 4 Bridgeport residents is foreign born 2 in 5 children in Bridgeport enter kindergarten with no preschool experience 2 3 Academics Technology Education Mercy Learning Center’s approach to educating women is rooted in a belief that all women are capable of achieving their goals when given comprehensive To ensure that our students have computer literacy skills and online access, MLC’s two computer labs are open and staffed by full-time instructors 45 hours a week. and caring instruction and support. In 2014-15, the 881 women enrolled in our • 726 students various academic programs made great strides in language, basic skills, and technology education—all while gaining invaluable confidence. • 27,521 hours of instruction • 109 technology certificates arnede Tutoring Program High School Diploma Programs The Tutoring Program matches women with volunteer tutors for four hours of tutoring each week. Students work to develop a range of skills including English language MLC’s two high school diploma programs have helped 229 women to reach this important acquisition, adult basic education, citizenship preparation, life skills and computer literacy. milestone and gain access to post-secondary education, higher wages, and more rewarding lives. In 2014-15, 24 women earned high school diplomas at MLC. • 700 students • 3 women earned diplomas through the GED® exam • 226 tutors • 21 women earned diplomas through the National External Diploma Program (NEDP®) • 48,816 hours of instruction • 74% of students made gains roughly equivalent to 1 grade level Intensive Study Program The women in the Intensive Study Program receive 25 hours per week of classroom instruction, learning from a certified instructor alongside their classmates. Class levels include English as a Second Language, Adult Basic Education levels I, II, and III, and GED® prep. • 152 students in 5 classes • 127,680 hours of instruction • 89% of students made gains roughly equivalent to 1-2 grade levels 4 5 Job Readiness & Transition to College Social Services Mercy Learning Center is committed to helping MLC staff and volunteers help our students to students follow fulfilling career paths and earn living overcome many obstacles to learning by providing wages. 300 women received a total of 890 hours of comprehensive social services, including: one-on-one career and college counseling. Women • 1,700 hours of case work (444 students) also participated in other career and college readiness programming, including: • 62 family therapy sessions • 39 days of nurse consultations; 8 days of • Job/career skills training workshops midwife consultations; 6 health screenings • Mock interview sessions with volunteer • 10 legal clinics corporate interviewers • 3 tax preparation sessions • An onsite job fair Volunteers from local corporations and agencies conducted mock interviews with • 1 voter registration drive A student had her blood pressure checked • MLC graduate panel discussions students in the fall and spring. • Hundreds of bags of food, household items during an on-site health fair provided by • “Life After Mercy” and Fairfield University School of Nursing. and diapers “Transition to College” courses • “Taste of College” visit to Housatonic Community College Life Skills Education Transforming Lives Developing key life skills as well as academic In 2014-15, more MLC alumnae than ever were knowledge is integral to MLC’s approach. pursuing post-secondary education: In 2014–15, life skills education included: • 49 graduates were enrolled in college Alternative medicine First aid • 16 graduates were enrolled in a vocational or Art Health career certificate program Luz Vargas celebrated earning her high Breast care Knitting • 37 graduates received scholarships school diploma with Cathy Alfandre, MLC Bullying Nutrition career and college counselor, at the annual Nora Jinishian, MLC enrichment coordinator, MLC alumnae celebrated earning many degrees and Recognition Reception. College application Prenatal care delivered a life skills session on nutrition to certifications, including: students and tutors. process Public safety • Master’s degree (1) Domestic violence Public transportation • Bachelor’s degree (1) Emergency Social skills • Associate’s degrees (2) preparedness Tenants’ rights • Community college certificates (3) Financial literacy Voter education • Career certifications (11) Fire safety And 85 students and graduates found jobs over the Yoga course of the year. Students and tutors participated in a workshop on public safety. Students visited Housatonic Community College during “A Taste of College” day. 6 7 Early Childhood Education and Family Literacy Mercy Learning Center works with women and their children to ensure that two generations of family members have the opportunity to learn, thrive and advance. In 2014- 15, our early childhood education and family literacy programming included: • The Early Childhood Education Program, which provided 169 children with 42,926 hours of free, on-site educational childcare services. • The Mother-Child Reading Program, which served 69 mothers and 74 children. The families participated in weekly sessions and took home a total of 1,850 new picture books. The Two Mercys • Five weeks of the “Family Fun”