Education - lifeworks.org

Education Programs
GED and Life Skills Training
Adult Basic Education & English as a Second Language
Foster Care Transitional Services
Youth Power
Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention
Teen Parent Services

GED & Life Skills Training
The GED and JobSkills Training Program is designed to assist youth with GED preparation, academic tutoring, and critical life skills/ job skills training. The target population of the GED, Life Skills, and Literacy Program are youth ages 16 to 26 who have special life circumstances, such as being homeless, pregnant, parenting, or involved in the juvenile justice system who have dropped out of school. The Program is self-paced and offered on an "open entry/open exit" basis, and most students remain in the Program for about four months. Classes are offered Monday through Thursday in three sessions: 9:00 a.m. to noon, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 5p.m. to 8p.m. A collaborationwith Austin Community College offers GED students the ability to successfully transfer to college. Classroom instruction incorporates self-paced, computerized instruction, small group learning exercises, lectures, videos, and other experiential learning activities. Daily lesson plans are designed to be flexible enough to address the needs and levels of all students, ranging from 4th to 12th grade levels.

At the request of youth, LifeWorks has developed a job skills component of the Program. The self-paced program includes lessons, field trips, guest speakers, and skill development activities. Lesson topics include writing a resume, completing a job application, and answering questions in a job interview. Field trips include visits to the Texas Workforce Center, area job fairs (ACC, Crockett Center, HEB, UT summer jobs), and application/job hunting. Guest speakers are employment recruiters, school representatives, or community business representatives. Speakers discuss Austin's workforce needs, the education and degree/certifications required for specific careers, long and short-term career goals, how to start a career, and what employers look for in a job interview. Students will receive assistance with mock job interviews, presenting themselves to a perspective employer, basic skills development (typing, filing, computer skills), and volunteer or apprentice style work (job shadowing) to gain marketable skills.

Program Outcomes

122 clients participated in the GED training track (target = 95)

115 clients participated in the Literacy training track (target = 105)

84% of clients who completed GED prep and were eligible to take the GED exam were prepared to do so (target = 75%)

14 Life Skills Training classes were offered (target = 16)

208 clients participated in LifeSkills training (target = 200)

91% of participants completing training demonstrated increased knowledge in at least half of the core topics (target = 90%)

2010 GED Orientation Dates (9am to 1pm) at LifeWorks South

January 8^th

February 12^th

March 12^th

April 9^th

May 14^th

June 11^th

July 16^th

August 13^th

September 10^th

October 8^th

November 12^th

December 10^th

Orientations begin at 9am, but please arrive early because only the first 25 clients will be admitted. If you have any questions or concerns please call 735-2424 for more information.

GED Location
Students attend classes at the LifeWorks South Site located at 3700 South 1st St.

Adult Basic Education & English as a Second Language

These volunteer based LifeWorks programs teach adults how to read and write. The programs provide instruction to individuals 17 years of age or older who read below the 6th grade level, and/or who have limited proficiency in speaking English.

Locations and Hours of Operation (ABE & ESL)
Half of our students attend classes at the LifeWorks Education Center on 2222 Rosewood Avenue. The other half attend classes at offsite locations. Offsite classes are offered through partnerships with libraries, schools, churches and other public places, and in conjunction with local employers.

Monday – Thursday 9a.m. – 9p.m.

Fees and Prerequisites
The program does not charge for services, and there are no minimum educational or language proficiency prerequisites for becoming a student.

Inquiries
Call (512) 478.READ

Students
New student orientations are available for Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. Students attend either small group classes or one-on-one tutoring sessions. We use non-traditional texts based on the students' interests. Space is limited, only the first 30 students are accepted.

Many of our students attend classes at our Education Center on Rosewood Avenue, and off-site tutoring is also available at many locations around the Austin area. For more information about locations, please contact Janice Giddings at 512.478.7323 ext. 15. Se habla español

2010 New Student Orientation Sessions:

ESL Student Orientation (6:30 to 8:30 pm) at LEC

January 11^th
February 15^th
March 22nd
April 19^th
May 17th
June 21st

ABE Student Orientation (6:30 to 8:30 pm) at LEC

January 25^th
February 22^nd
March 29^th
April 26th
May 24th
June 28th

To register for an orientation, please call 478-7323. All orientations are from 6:30-7:30pm at the LifeWorks Education Center

Sessions: Twice a week on Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday from 10a.m. to 12p.m., 12:30 to 2:30p.m. or 6:00 to 8:00p.m.

Tutors
Our Volunteer Tutors are the sole providers of weekly instruction to the clients served by our Literacy Programs. Prospective volunteers are invited to a program orientation, which includes an overview of the available volunteer opportunities, a background of the agency and program, and a brief introduction to teaching adults. Following the orientation, tutors receive 12 hours of training on a student-centered curriculum. Our method emphasizes the students’ need to see a relationship between what he or she is learning and the problem which sent him or her to our program. A 6 month commitment to the program is required of all new tutors.

Classes are held at our Education Center and numerous off-site locations in the Austin area, many of which are affiliated with schools, housing complexes, or libraries. Please see above for class schedules; tutors may choose to teach one or two days per week. For information on how to become a tutor, please contact Janice Giddings at 512.478.7323 ext. 15 (janice.giddings@lifeworksweb.org)

2010 Tutor Orientation and Training Sessions:

Tutor Orientation (6:30 to 8:30pm) at LEC

January 12^th
February 8^th
March 8^th
April 5^th
May 3^rd
June 7th

Tutor Training (9:30am to 3:30pm) at LEC

January 23^rd and 30^th
February 20^th and 27^th
April 17^th and 24^th
May 15^th and 22^nd
June 19^th and 26^th

All sessions take place at the LifeWorks Education Center 2222 Rosewood Avenue.

Teen Parent Services
Teen Parent Services are provided to expectant/parenting teens in Austin/Travis County to encourage teens to stay in school and to prevent subsequent pregnancies. Case management services are provided to help teens access resources in order to stay in school and to teach positive parenting skills. Case managers work with teen parents to develop individual plans for attaining these goals by identifying areas in which the teen is in need of additional support. Staff assist with and advocate for clients’ needs, including housing, child care, employment, health care, and basic needs, such as food, utilities, clothes, etc. Teen parent group services are offered primarily in area high schools in order to promote and teach positive parenting skills. Teens are provided parenting information on topics such as infant/child growth and development, discipline and guidance, budgeting, and many other relevant topics. Program staff are actively involved in the community in order to provide current information and referrals to participants. In addition, staff participate in many collaborative efforts, such as the Tandem Project, to offer participants a wide array of comprehensive services.

Program Outcomes

98 clients participated in case management (target = 90)
102 clients participated in group sessions (target = 78)
52 clients participated in informational sessions (target = 62)
90% of youth made progress towards educational or employment goals (target = 75%)
96% of youth did not experience a repeat pregnancy (target = 90%)
99% of youth participating in group services reported gaining parenting knowledge through group participation (target = 75%)

Foster Care Transitional Services
FCTS works in Collaboration with Casey Family Programs, LifeWorks' Housing division and DPRS to provide services to transitioning Foster Care Youth in a 30 county area as Aftercare Transitional Services or ACTS. FCTS provides increased depth of services to LifeWorks' Homeless Foster Youth and intense services (case management, crisis intervention, resource referral and additional life skills education) to Transitioning Foster Care Youth through out this area. In addition, through collaboration, this service is provided to an additional 65-80 transitioning youth through Casey Family Case Managers working within the Austin area

Program Outcomes

309 clients served (target = 300)

74% of youth remained in school or employed while receiving services (target = 70%)

REAL Talk
LifeWorks' Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program provides school and community-based groups and summer camps that help youth (4th-8th grades) and their parents develop the skills and knowledge necessary to avoid early sexual involvement and teen pregnancy. LifeWorks' staff work with youth in small groups, providing abstinence-based education through experiential activities and group discussions. Topics are developmentally appropriate for the specific age group. Mentoring, volunteer projects and family nights are key components of the program.

Program Outcomes (July 2003-June 2004)

201 clients served (target = 215)
88% of youth demonstrated increased knowledge about sexual health (target = 85%)
50% of youth demonstrated increased intentions to delay sexual activity (target = 50%)
51% of youth demonstrated a change in behavior from high-risk activities to positives behaviors (target = 50%)

Youth Power

The HACA Enrichment program provides enrichment activities through after-school groups and summer camp for youth ages 11-16 who reside in 3 Housing Authority City of Austin sites: Booker T. Washington, Bouldin Oaks and Meadowbrook. Services include enrichment activities (sports, music, dance, art, service learning projects and field trips) as well as educational/school support, family visits, community events, short-term counseling, and linkages to other resources.

Program Outcomes

Provided services to 70 youth in summer, 35 in Fall
95% of youth participating in the program will express positive feelings of connection to the group, as indicated by responses obtained through quarterly surveys
77% of youth participating in the program will participate in at least one project that contributes positively to their community, as indicated by group activity and attendance records

Youth comments included:
”It was fun”
“It was a very inspiring group”
“Cause it gives kids something to do after school”
“It’s fun, I love the activities, and we get to meet new people”
“I would recommend others join next time”

Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention
The Next Step program provides prevention education to elementary school students using a nationally recognized violence prevention curriculum that emphasizes appropriate social skills, communication skills, problem solving skills, and techniques for handling anger and other strong emotions in a productive manner. Next Step also offers educational support groups for selected elementary and middle school students who are identified as needing, and are able to benefit from, further assistance in developing positive social skills. During the summer months, structured group activities are offered to children and youth in community settings. In addition, Next Step offers community presentations to adults who seek information about steps they can take to promote healthy development for children and youth. Other community outreach efforts include recreational, social, and cultural activities that promote a "no use" message.

Next Step

The Next Step program provides school and community based instruction and activities to strengthen the social and emotional skills of children and youth in order to promote positive youth development. Research has demonstrated that the development of these skills helps to prevent youth involvement in substance abuse and violence.

Program Outcomes

545 students (PreK-5) participated in ongoing prevention education instruction (target = 544)
181 students (PreK-5) participated in curriculum-based support groups (target = 105)
69 students (Grades 6-8 ) particpated in curriculum-based support groups (target = 63)
33 teachers were trained in the curriculum (target = 32)
66% of children (Grades PreK-5) participating in at least 6 months of instruction demonstrated improvement or maintained high level in social-emotional behaviors as reported by teachers (target = 70%)