Live United by Penny Jahnke

Penny Jahnke is the coordinator of the Adult Learning Center.

I bet if I walked up to 10 people on the street and asked if they have heard of Adult Basic Education (ABE) or the Adult Learning Center, 9 out 10 would say no. My goal is that after reading this article that 9 out of 10 people will now be able to say yes.

Who are we? The Adult Learning Center (not to be confused with the Area Learning Center) is located at Brookside Education Center. We are part of the Albert Lea Area Schools Community Education program. We currently have 11-part time employees: one coordinator, one information specialist, four licensed teachers, four educational assistants and one navigator. Last year we also had seven volunteers and three Riverland work study students involved with our program. We are governed under the Minnesota Department of Education. Albert Lea is part of the Southeast ABE consortium that includes Austin, Owatonna, Faribault, Winona, Triton, Pathways and 10 aligned school districts.

What do we do? We provide adults with educational opportunities to acquire and improve their literacy skills necessary to become self-sufficient and to participate effectively as productive workers, family members and citizens. We accomplish this in two ways. First, by offering a variety of classes at no cost to our students. These include: 1. General Educational Diploma (GED), 2. English, 3. College prep, 4. Math, 5. Citizenship, 6. Digital literacy and 7. ParaPro certificate. We are also an official GED testing center. Second, we help students remove barriers that prevent them from achieving their educational goals. We do this by connecting students to the necessary community resources they or their family may need. This may include, but is not limited to, finding a place to live, finding a job, assisting with forms, finding a food shelf, applying for financial aid to attend college, connecting with appropriate social service agency or applying for preschool. With generous grants from the United Way and Mayo we are able to provide free child care on site and assist with transportation costs to attend school. We recognize in order for our students to succeed academically, their basic needs must be met first.

Who do we serve? We serve anyone 17 or over who is not enrolled in a secondary school, and functioning below the 12th grade level in any of the basic academic areas including reading, math, writing and speaking English. Last year the Adult Learning Center served over 190 students and had over 20,000 student contact hours. Over 50 percent of our students that come to school also have full- or part-time jobs.   Our students represent 10 different countries. Last year we had eight students receive their GED and 18 students receive their U.S. citizenship. We also partner with Riverland Community College to teach a math class and the Freeborn County jail to teach GED and English classes.

How do you attend our classes or volunteer? We will be holding registration on Wednesday, Aug. 24 at 9 a.m. or 1 p.m. at Brookside Education Center.  Classes begin Monday, Aug. 29. You can also find more information on the Albert Lea Area Schools website or call us at 379-4866. You can also email me at penny.jahnke@alschools.org.

I hope this helps you better understand the Adult Learning Center, and I am looking forward to another great year.