Researchers concluded that programs to boost the academic achievement of children might be more successful if they also provided adult literacy education to parents.

“The findings indicate that programs to improve maternal literacy skills may provide an effective means to overcome the disparity in academic achievement between children in poor and affluent neighborhoods,” said Rebecca Clark, Ph.D., chief of the Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the NIH institute that funded the study.

Here in Bucks County, Vita Education Services is addressing this need with its Family Literacy program. Family Literacy is an intensive year round program to assist parents, primarily mothers, in gaining the literacy and parenting skills they need to become full partners in the educational development of their children through family-centered education programming.

Family literacy addresses the literacy needs of all members of the family while promoting parents’ involvement in their children’s education as their children’s first teachers.

Vita partners with Head Start, Bucks County Free Library, the County Assistance Office, St. Mary Parenting Center, and the Bensalem and Bristol Township School Districts to deliver this model program. Family Literacy classes are located at Bensalem Head Start in Bensalem and Franklin D. Roosevelt Middle School in Bristol.

In conjunction with Mother’s Day and in honor of the importance mothers have in their children’s academic success, Vita is recognizing the “Power of Moms” with a unique way to celebrate Mother’s Day.

For each donation to Vita’s Family Literacy program in honor of a special mother, Vita will send the honoree a card acknowledging the donation made in her name and lettering her know how it will be used to benefit Family Literacy students and their families by giving them educational opportunities that make a real difference in their lives.

For more information on Vita’s Family Literacy program and the “Power of Moms,” visit www.vitaeducation.org For more information about the NIH research, visit http://www.nih.gov/news/health/oct2010/nichd-25.htm

Potential students must attend registration and the placement testing to be eligible to attend class. Visit www.VitaEducation.org for more information or call 215-345-8322.

A United Way agency, Vita Education Services is the lead literacy agency in Bucks County and the leading provider of educational programs in the Bucks County Correctional Facilities.

For the last three years, Vita Education Services has been developing a case management system to encourage persistence. From the moment students come to orientation to the point at which they have completed Vita’s program, care has been taken to assure that they are given the attention they need to succeed.

Case management brings to mind a social service or medical model. Educational case management is different. Vita staff defines it as the individual attention and support students need to set goals, to come to class, and to assume responsibility for their learning.  

Our state funder is taking the issue of persistence very seriously. To that end, they have now mandated that “case management “ take place in all adult education programs as a way of getting students to persevere in their studies.

Our instructors, both tutors and teachers alike,  play an important role in case management by helping students clarify their goals, encouraging their efforts, and providing quality instruction that offers the means for students to monitor their own progress.

 Click here Connecting Research and Practice to read about the research that supports Vita’s approach to case management.

Doylestown (February 29, 2012)  Vita Education Services is the largest provider of educational services in the Bucks County Correctional Facility taught by both trained volunteers and professional staff. Vita offers both literacy and its unique Decisions programs to inmates at the correctional facility.

Vita delivers its Decisions programs through Decisions for Living (DFL) and Job Readiness courses, and in Decisions for a Better Life workshops. Decisions helps individuals make sound choices using a logical 5-step process. In a recent article in The Intelligencer entitled Matter of Choice, staff writer Bill Devlin follows the match between a Vita volunteer and her client, a 28-year old inmate.

For the past five years, the Boger family has organized a very successful 5K run/walk in Brandon’s memory.  The run was originally created and organized by one of Brandon’s younger sister, Courtney, for her Central Bucks East High School graduation project and, most recently, organized by his sister, Samantha, for her senior graduation project..  The run is also sponsored by the Doylestown Lions Club, and the friends and family of Brandon, with the cooperation and participation of the Central Bucks East National Honor Society.

“Vita is most grateful to the Boger family for the foundation’s generous contribution.  We are honored to be chosen to receive this gift in honor of Brandon’s “indomitable spirit,” said Linda Wolfson, Vita’s Executive Director.

Founded in 1971, Vita Education Services brings learning to life for over 1,000 Bucks County residents annually in the community and the criminal justice system by providing quality education programs: Basic Literacy, GED Preparation, Family Literacy, English as a Second Language, Decisions for Living and Decisions for Teens.  These services are provided by professional staff and trained volunteers.

Vita is a United Way of Bucks County agency. It is the lead literacy agency inBucksCountyand the largest provider of educational services in the Bucks County Correctional Facilities.  For more information, call 215-345-8322; visit www.vitaeducation.org

For more information on the Brandon W. Boger Memorial Foundation, visit www.BrandonsRun.com

Doylestown, PA (December 28, 2011)  Vita Education Services is offering free Adult Basic Education programs for adults in Bucks County who wish to improve their reading, writing and math skills as well as obtain their GED.  Also offered are free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for adults for whom English is not a first language who wish to improve English conversation and reading and writing skills.

GED, Pre-GED classes and ESL classes are located at the BucksCountyTechnicalHigh Schoolin Fairless Hills, BensalemHigh Schoolin Bensalem, and WilliamTennentHigh Schoolin Warminster.  In addition, GED and Pre-GED classes are located at the PA CareerLink^® inBristol, and ESL classes are located atBensalemFamilyResourceCenter andBucksMeadowYWCAFamilyCenter in Bensalem, and at the Vita Education Services office in Doylestown.

 All potential students must attend an orientation/registration session to determine eligibility for Vita’s programs.  Registration begins in January.  Visit www.VitaEducation.org  for complete schedule of ESL and GED classes and registration dates. 

In this climate of economic difficulty, we are most grateful for the Foundation’s continuing support.  We are pleased to be recognized by the Foundation as a high performing nonprofit organization,” said Linda Wolfson, Vita’s Executive Director.

Founded in 1971, Vita Education Services brings learning to life to over 1,000 Bucks County residents annually in the community and the criminal justice system by providing quality education programs: Basic Literacy, GED Preparation, Family Literacy, English as a Second Language, Decisions for Living and Decisions for Teens.  These services are provided by professional staff and trained volunteers. Vita is the lead literacy agency inBucksCountyand the largest provider of educational services in the Bucks County Correctional Facilities.  For more information, call 215-345-8322; visit www.vitaeducation.org

 The Philadelphia Foundation, a public charity, is Southeastern Pennsylvania’s leading center for community philanthropic engagement and is committed to improving the quality of life in Bucks,Chester,Montgomery, andPhiladelphiacounties through funds established by its donors.  Established in 1918, The Philadelphia Foundation continues to help donors harness their generosity and vision by providing tools, knowledge and financial stewardship directed to maximize the strategic impact of charitable contributions.  Grants from more than 775 charitable funds strengthen the effectiveness of nonprofits and support programs that are vital to the people of this region.

The 15-hour volunteer tutor training will be held in Doylestown on six Wednesday evenings beginning October 26. The training includes learning the DFL process and a tour of the Correctional Facility. No teaching experience is needed to tutor DFL; volunteers must be at least 21 years of age.

To register or for more information visit www.vitaeducation.org or call 215-345-8322.

Vita Education Services is the lead literacy agency in Bucks County and the largest provider of education programs in the Bucks County Correctional Facilities. Since 1971, Vita has been bringing learning to life in the County by providing quality education programs in literacy and decision making.

Vita Education Services announces a new Family Literacy program at Franklin D. Roosevelt Middle School (FDR) in Bristol Township.

Family Literacy is an intensive year round program to assist English as a Second Language parents in gaining the literacy and parenting skills they need to become full partners in the educational development of their young children through family-centered education programming.

Vita has offered Family Literacy classes at Bensalem Head Start  in Bucks County since 2000. Due to the success of this program, Vita was given the opportunity to apply for an expanded State grant to fund the new location in Bristol Township School District.

Eligible parents include those 17 or older with limited English language skills who have children from birth to third grade. Parents can bring their younger children to class with them. The classes are held Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m.

 Interested parents are invited to come meet Vita’s Family Literacy teachers and learn more about the program at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, October 4, or Wednesday, October 5, in Room A-13 at FDR Middle School, 1001 Rodgers Road, Bristol.  For more information, call 215-589-0916.

Reading, writing and math classes; GED preparation classes; and ESL classes are located at the BucksCountyTechnicalHigh Schoolin Fairless Hills, BensalemHigh Schoolin Bensalem, and WilliamTennentHigh Schoolin Warminster.  In addition, reading, writing and math classes and GED preparation classes are located at the PA CareerLink^® inBristol. ESL classes are also located atBucksMeadowYWCAFamilyCenter, the St. Mary Family Resource in Bensalem, and at the Vita Education Services office in Doylestown.

All potential students must attend an orientation/registration session to determine eligibility for Vita’s programs.  Registrations for classes are August 30 – Sept. 21, depending on location.  Visit Registration Schedule  for complete schedule of classes and registration dates. 

 A United Wayagency, Vita Education Services is the lead literacy agency inBucksCountyand the leading provider of educational programs in the Bucks County Correctional Facilities. For more information, call Vita at 215-345-8322