Literacy Council receives national accreditation

By JEFFERSON WEAVER
Staff Writer

What started as an idea in 2001 came to fruition recently, as the Columbus County Literacy Council received its national accreditation.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Janice Simms. “It represents a lot of work on the part of everyone involved.”

The Columbus County Literacy Council is a non-profit, mainly volunteer organization that helps children, youth and adults with reading problems. The group uses both hands-on and computerized classes.

ProLiteracy America, the country’s largest literacy group, performed an exhausting review of the agency’s records and procedures before granting the recognition.

Accreditation is like a credit check for the agency – it reassures parents that the CCLC not only helps promote reading, but does so successfully. Accreditation can also be a boost when seeking grant funds, Simms said.

“The board worked long and hard to get this in place,” Simms said. “They were willing to do what they had to for the effort to succeed.”

Five years in the making

The agency first considered the process in 2001, Simms said.

“The council was already doing what it was supposed to, and this would further help our reputation,” Simms said. “The council is 25 years old, and had never been accredited. The board asked, why not?”

The CCLC first contacted ProLiteracy to find out what was required for accreditation, then set about gathering the needed documentation. Later, a site reviewer visited the council to meet with the board, observe operations and examine the agency’s policies and procedures.

“It was suggested we come up with job descriptions and have them written down,” Simms said. “That was the only major problem they found. If someone new came in, they might not be able to operate if we didn’t have a standard operating procedure in place.”

After the site review came the hardest part, Simms said – waiting.

“That’s the tough part of anything,” she said, “especially when it’s something this important.”
The agency was notified last month of the accreditation. Simms said the group plans to hold a more formal celebration in the near future.

“We just want to thank everyone who played such a big part in this,” she said.

The accreditation not only gives parents some reassurance that the literacy council “is doing what we say,” but opens other avenues for the group as well.

“This is the type of thing that some grants require,” Simms said. “With more grant funding, we can have more programs to help more people.”

Currently, the CCLC serves 17 adults and 12 youth, and has 32 volunteers. Another 23 names are on the waiting list for help improving their reading skills.

“We always need more volunteers,” Simms said. “It’s often difficult to match tutors and students, then coordinate schedules. Everyone is so busy, it’s not always easy to get the specific help someone needs, but we do our best.”

Simms said the accreditation was especially reassuring to the staff.

“It proves the literacy council is a legitimate organization, and following through on our promise to the community,” she said. “It makes you feel proud to be involved in something like that.”

For more information, call the CCLC at 642-2442.