LITERACY NEW YORK INC

Literacy New York is funded by the NYS Education Department to operate two Regional Adult Education Networks (RAENs) - one in Western New York (WNY RAEN) and the other in the Capital Region of the state (Capital North RAEN.

 The goal of the RAEN system is to provide research-based professional development resources to improve the skills of adult education practitioners and the quality of the adult education, family literacy and workforce development programs funded by NYSED.

 RAENs provide professional development to school and BOCES based adult education providers conforming to the National Reporting Systems (NRS) accountability system. Professional development is provided in: accountability, network building, digital literacy and distance learning,
Learning to Achieve, Literacy Zones, and assessment to improve practitioner's skills in order to meet or exceed statewide benchmarks on core indicators

 RAENs serve as a complement to the capacity building services that Literacy New York delivers to community based literacy providers. RAENs work directly with staff of these organizations, ensuring that all staff have the
highest quality training and certification available, resulting in expert adult literacy practitioners.

Intake to Outcomes (I2O) is Literacy New York's online training platform and houses volunteer and staff training created specifically for literacy programs. For programs that use volunteer tutors, I2O builds capacity, equipping them to offer tutor training "on demand", as potential volunteers connect with local literacy providers. Workshops are asynchronous, so tutors can complete them on their own schedules. They are facilitated by experienced LNY trainers, and help is just an "ask" button away for participants should they have questions or issues. I2O has allowed for consistency and quality in tutor training, regardless of the site-- all tutors in the system are getting evidence-based, current information and strategies around serving adult Basic Literacy and English Language learners. LNY also offers staff training on the I2O platform, which lets directors connect new hires with valuable information right away.

Founded in September 2019, the Janice Cuddahee Fund honors the memory of a literacy advocate who enjoyed a long career with Literacy New York, culminating in her leading the organization as Executive Director. Janice Cuddahee's lifetime of service to Literacy NY made our New York network the best in the nation. Janice was, as so many have said, a literacy warrior. She fought for literacy learners; she fought for the role of well-trained volunteers in adult education; she fought for NY State funding; and she fought for increased public awareness of low-level adult literacy in our state and across the nation. Sadly, we lost Janice to cancer in April, 2019.
Janice's passion formed the foundation for the first project of the Janice Cuddahee Fund: The Janice Cuddahee Tutor Support Program. Contributions allow Literacy New York to underwrite the costs of online tutor training workshops for deserving literacy programs.