Literacy Program

Each year, Rotarians carry out thousands of projects to expand and improve early childhood literacy and education programs for both boys and girls. The focus of these projects is not only to improve the ability of teachers to teach and empower schools to meet the needs of students in the community, but also to increase access to adult learning programs for both men and women.

Locally, Thomasville Rotary participates in numerous projects. In recent years the “On To Graduation” Program has a long term goal of increasing the graduation rate from Thomasville High School. Three programs exist within “ On To Graduation”: Reading Partners, Bulldog Prep, and the Speakers Program.

Reading Partners Program: Students in the 3^rd grade who do not perform at grade level in reading will probably have big problems in their educational career. In ability to read at grade level in the 3^rd grade is used as a predictor of future performance by many different entities. Our club has a healthy partnership with the Thomasville City School System on many fronts. In this program, the system identifies below-grade readers using standardized testing. Rotary pays for these background checks.

Bulldog Prep: The long summer break after graduating from middle school gives an opportunity for many rising freshmen students to question the value of a high school education. They may not see how it relates to their future. Bulldog Prep has two parts: All the entering 9^th grade class participate in a board game called The Choices Program which takes them on a simulation of the good choices and bad choices they will encounter during their high school career. Good choices relate to good outcomes; bad outcomes come from bad choices. Bulldog Prep also provides speakers from local businesses about local hiring prospects for high school graduates; the emphasis is on the importance of a high school degree as an entry card. A dinner meeting with students and parents summarizes the importance of the next four years to the student’s future.

Speakers Program: We are offering ten speakers to our local high schools about the adversities they faced and how they persevered to get an education which was the key to their success in the working world. Students are encouraged to continue their education and to get the all-important high school degree and further training, whether it be vocational or college. The school principals and their staff determine the audiences and timing of the speakers.

Other efforts promote literacy in our community.

Rotarians help hand out dictionaries to all 3^rd grade students in Thomas County. We lend our support to the Ferst Foundation. This Foundation offers free books to children in our community monthly until the age of five. Thomasville Rotary also supplies scholarship funding for area adults to defer the cost involved in taking the GED test.

All these projects reduce barriers to literacy and promote positive community environments for literacy.