CATALYST
In Yuma County, 27 percent of adults age 18 and older do not have their high school or general equivalency diploma. Twenty-eight percent of 16to 19-year-olds either are not enrolled in school or do not have a high school diploma or GED.
Roughly 10 percent of the adult population here lives in linguistically isolated households, meaning English is not the primary language in the household.
“There are million of Americans who cannot perform simple mathematics. That is a huge number for the united States,” Regenhardt said. “So we have a big challenge ahead of us.”
Regenhardt, who hails from Las Vegas and holds a masters in business administration, has been leading the organization for two years. Previously he worked on the other side of the table in workforce development and still teaches college business courses in Nevada.
“Being on this side is a whole different experience,” he said.
He frequently gets asked: “You teach people to read?”
Adult Literacy Plus does more than teach people how to read and write. The organization, which has a campus at 825 S. Orange Ave., provides GED completion courses as well as college prep courses, workplace essential classes and English as a Second Language classes.
The organization has been around since 1981 when it was called the Yuma Reading Council. It is now the largest Title II provider in southwest Arizona and funded by the Arizona Department of Education and the U.S.
Yuma County Adult Education 2016-17
• 53% of adult learners were between the ages of 25 and 44 • 7% of adults learners were between the ages of 16 and 21 • 48% of adult learns were employed • 34% of the adults enrolling adult education classes had reading, writing and/or math proficiency skills before the ninth-grade level. • 50% of adult education students improved two grade levels • 427 adults were enrolled in adult educations classes • 36,308 instructional hours were provided in adult education classes
• 179 high school equivalency credentials were awarded Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
Being on both sides has given Regenhardt a broader perspective, especially the impact adult education has on the economy. He pointed out that for every dollar spent on adult education $60 goes into the economy. Students can then earn a livable wage so they buy more, which means more sales tax revenues and in some cases coming off public assistance.
It’s a chain reaction, even within a family. “They’re setting an example for the family. Kids see the importance of education. It has a trickledown effect. The ultimate goal is to break the cycle of un-education,” Regenhardt explained.
“So it’s really critical for us to engage our students at every level. We have math classes, science classes, social studies, language arts, ESL classes. And within that we do reading and writing across the curriculum so they are better when they leave our program,” he added.
The program points students towards college or a career. “We’re able to integrate them into the college system very well or to take the career pathway and get a certificate for whatever occupation they feel is exciting to them.”
So the focus isn’t just on earning their GED “but to go above and beyond because it’s vital for them to get gainful employment, to be able to have the soft skills we provide, so they can communicate, learn conflict resolution, put together an email that doesn’t look like it was written by a first grader. A lot of the services we provide are not on a piece of paper. They’re soft skills that they need,” Regenhardt said.
He noted that 92 percent of business executives say their employees lack soft skills such as being able to communicate with the boss and show up on time.
In partnership with the Greater Yuma Economic Development Center, Adult Literacy Plus is now reaching out to businesses and offering on-site classes. One of those partners is Shaw Industries, which provides ESL classes for its employees.
Adult Literacy Plus uses English@Work, a mobile adult language program that customizes classes to the needs of a businesses and delivers them on site to employees. The program provides classes to employees across several business sectors including hospitality, manufacturing, retail, customer service industries, transportation/ logistics and construction.
The results can be increased company revenue and safety adherence and better internal company communications due to improved employee language skills, which also help with customer interactions.
At Shaw, classes are held Mondays and Wednesdays. The third shift have Mondays off but employees still come in on their day off for classes.
“They are eager. When you start providing a service to employees as an employer and you say, ‘We’re going to invest in you so you can progress within our company,’ they’re going to do it,” Regenhardt said.
The program empowers employees to take the next step in their education, such as gaining a GED. Some students take classes on their own on campus and pay out of their own pocket. The charge is on a sliding scale based on income.
The program is open to those age 16 and older. The organization typically serves 385 students a year.
Christopher Masters, 30, has been one of those students. Married with a young daughter, he wanted “to do something with my life.” He had dropped out of school at 16 and went back to school at 28. He started at the sixth grade level, taking classes in intermediate math, reading and writing, until he earned his GED.
“I came here, put in a lot of work,” he said.
After getting his GED, he became a certified nurse assistant through the Regional Center for Border Health and he’s now working as a home health CNA. He wants to become licensed so he can work at the hospital and has plans to keep advancing in nursing.
“He’s one of those gogetters. Even after he got his GED, he continued to come to classes,” teacher Jesse Figueroa said.
Figueroa, an instructional program coordinator at Adult Literacy Plus, teaches college prep courses. He’s been teaching adults for 17 years. He noted that it’s not just about handing out books but preparing students for college and “real life.”
“It’s not just about the GED, it doesn’t end there. What’s there for tomorrow? What’s next?”
Figueroa previously taught second grade, but he prefers teaching adults. “Seeing students progress and being able to see to them function in society, it’s more rewarding. It’s such a worthwhile experience.”
He recalled Ashley Avila, who worked in the fields with her husband moving between Yuma and Salinas, Calif. “It was a struggle for her. She didn’t want to go back to the fields. She wanted to become a CNA.” After going through the program, she’s now a nurse in Salinas, Calif., where “she earns more than we do.”
ESL teacher Maria Johnson has taught all levels since 1995 and adults for eight years now. The biggest difference is that adults are already motivated.
“In middle school, you have to find how they learn and push them and you have to have parent involvement. Adults want to be here,” Johnson said.
Her students come from all over the world: Syria, Vietnam, Philippines, Russia, Thailand, Cambodia and other places. “It’s so cool. I get to learn about their cultures. I love it. It’s so much fun.”
Some want to improve their English skills and some want to learn the U.S. culture. Some are farmworkers who want to go into another industry. Some are single parents who want to get off the public assistance system. Some want to get a driver’s license or a better job and make more money.
Some foreign-born students have master’s and doctorate degrees in their countries but they aren’t accepted in the U.S. and they have to start all over. Johnson recalled one student from Guadalajara, Mexico, who had a business background. Her husband brought her over and then abandoned her. She wanted to reenter the business world but didn’t speak English. She completed levels 2-5 and earned her GED and is now working in sales at a local hotel.
Nerry Sotelo has been teaching adults since January 2017 and previously taught adults in Somerton and science and math to middle schoolers. She now teaches all subjects through online courses at Adult Literacy Plus. Her students live throughout the region, from Parker to San Luis and even on the Cocopah Reservation.
“I really love this job. It’s a really different, whole new world teaching adults.”
The next session starts July 23. For more information, go to www.adultliteracyplus.org or call (928) 343-9363.