Ep 28: Adult Education with Julie Falt

Thanks for joining us for the another collaborative episode of Patrons & Partnerships, presented by the Library Partnership Branch of the Alachua County Library District and Santa Fe College.

Every other month, the second episode of the month will be an interview with Santa Fe staff meant to highlight a notable program or outreach effort by the college. This month, we spoke with Julie Falt, the Coordinator of Adult Education at Santa Fe College, who has been with the program very nearly since its creation in 1998. We talk about the history of the program, the wide variety of services under the Adult Education umbrella, and how adults looking to go back to college can enroll.

Adult Education at Santa Fe: https://www.sfcollege.edu/adult-education/

Summer Art Show at ACLD: https://www.aclib.us/summer-art-show 

Visit the Alachua County Library District website to browse our collection and to find other resources and services offered at your favorite, local library!

You can view a transcript of this podcast on ACLD's YouTube Channel.

Transcript

Eleanore: 0:01

Hi, thanks for joining us for our second collaborative episode between Patrons & Partnerships and Santa Fe College. Today we spoke with Julie Falt, Santa Fe College’s Adult Education Program Coordinator, about the Adult Education Program at Santa Fe College. The Adult Education Program doesn't only support students who are seeking their GED, but also students with disabilities and students who speak English as a second language. It offers a supportive environment and many resources to help students get where they would like to go.[music] Hi, Julie, I'm really glad that you were able to join us today. Could you introduce yourself and your program?

Julie: 0:44

Yes! I'm Julie Falt, and I am the Coordinator of Adult Education at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida. Adult Education means adult basic education, basic literacy skills, GED preparation, and ESOL, English for Speakers of Other Languages, for individuals who come from other countries and need to improve their English skills.

Eleanore: 1:10

Could you provide some more details about your program? How long it's been around, its missions and goals?

Julie: 1:15

Yes. Our program has been around since 1998, actually, and its mission is to help students who need a little brush-up academically to help them further their educational career, whether that be to go into college or to go into careers, to get some certifications for careers, to get a high school diploma if they haven't gotten that, or like I said, to improve their English skills to help them function more effectively in an English speaking society. Again, for jobs, to help their children in school, to go into further education. So I would think of a lot of our work as pre-college work. Students come to us because they're not quite ready to start college-level courses at Santa Fe College, they need a brush-up of some kind. And so we work with them to help them with that academic brush-up to get them ready for their next steps.

Eleanore: 2:18

And what are the major initiatives of the Adult Education Program?

Julie: 2:21

Well, you know, like I said, we want to help people get ready for the next steps, but we really embed a lot of college and career readiness into our program. You might think that we would only be offering classes in reading or language or mathematics or English skills, or science and social studies to help people get ready for the GED. And we do that! We have all of those courses. But in addition to that, we have a lot of workplace and college and career readiness programs. We have a health science career track where students, our ESOL students, are taking medical English classes. And then all of our students take Home Health Aide Direct Care class as a contextualized adult ed program. And by that, I mean they're in a reading or language class, but the materials they use are health science materials. And then as part of our program, they take a certified nursing assistant preparation class to help them get ready for the Santa Fe College 165 hour nursing assistant program. And that's an actual certificate program at Santa Fe. And then when they go into that program, one of our adult ed instructors goes with our students to help be a mentor and a guide and a support while they're in that certificate program. So we have the health science track, we have a childcare track - students work with the 40 hour Department of Children and Families online curriculum with one of our instructors, and they get ready to work in a childcare or daycare facility. We have a business English track where students are getting ready for business programs. We teach computer skills and typing skills to help students prepare for those. We have an agriculture/horticulture entrepreneurship program where students are doing actual hands-on gardening, and they sell a lot of their wares at local farmers markets, so they're learning how to, to make a living through horticulture or agriculture and actually getting some hands-on practice doing that. Then we're just starting a program, an Introduction to Building Construction to, to some of our construction and technical programs. And we hope that through that introduction in our contextualized adult ed classes, that students would go into a new program called Building Maintenance and Management that's offered by the construction program, or possibly welding or heating and air, one of those certificate programs. And again, we try and help them support their pathway to get into that. So, you know, in addition to the academics, we're trying to think of, you know, your - your career preparation doesn’t wait until you're finished with your academic goals, that actually, you can opt to do your career preparation while you're in our adult ed program.

Eleanore: 5:30

That… Sorry, I always say that's cool, and I'm trying to think of different ways to say like, that's really exciting. Julie: [laughs] That's a very, a neat and holistic way to get people involved in career planning and education. What part of it are you most excited for?

Julie: 5:45

Well, you know, I, I love this program. I've been working here, actually, since 1998. So I'm pretty excited about the whole program. What I like is working with individuals who, for one reason or another, weren't able to finish school, or even if they did finish school, they need a little bit more brush-up before they go on to their next steps. So it really excites me when people come in, and they have goals and dreams. And they're excited about coming to school, they've made the decision to come. And we can facilitate them getting on to whatever those goals and dreams and plans are, where we're a stop along the way, hopefully.

Eleanore: 6:28

Have you been here since the program's inception? Were you one of the original staff?

Julie: 6:32

I wasn't one of the very, very first staff, but I came on within a year of the program starting.

Eleanore: 6:37

Okay, so you've seen it grow from its very beginnings. Julie: Yes. Yes, yes. Has it expanded greatly since?

Julie: 6:43

Yeah. Yes. So we started, our very first classes were at the Northwest Campus, which is one out by I-75 off of 39. And we were in one long room with a table down the middle and computers around the edge, and we probably had 15-20 students. You know, we’d have day and evening. And everybody would have their education. It would be more individualized, with tutors working with them. We outgrew that room and we started expanding into the hallway and then we were in the breezeway that was outside of the building, and then the fire marshal wasn't too happy with us [laughs] because we were getting in the way of all the entrances and exits. So then we did get bigger quarters. We expanded to the Blount downtown campus pretty quickly in our, in our program, probably within a year or two starting the program. Then, we had expanded to the Davis Center in Archer, the Santa Fe Davis Center in Archer. And then recently we have started offering classes at the Perry Center out in Alachua. So we're at four Santa Fe sites. And I think the hope at the college is for us to expand to even more Santa Fe sites in the future. And in addition to starting with the adult basic ed GED students, we had some non-native English speaking students come in. And so then, we started working with students who, English was not their first language. So we added the ESOL component. Our program grew from about 20 or 30 to at our highest was 700 or more students a year. Now since the pandemic, our enrollment has gone down. So we're about 550, 600 students at all of our different sites. But our goal, we're having a summer recruitment plan. [laughs] So we want to reach out and get students into our program. I think I also forgot to let you know that in addition to the programs that I already mentioned, we have some students who have various types of disabilities in our program. And we have a program specifically for students with intellectual disabilities. It's called Project Saint. And it stands for Students for Access & Inclusion Together. And also, Saint is our, is our mascot. But the goal of that program is to have students with intellectual disabilities have a college academic and inclusive experience. And so some of their coursework is to maybe go into a college class to audit part or all of the class. They also have a workplace readiness component and a job placement component, some independent living experiences and skills. So that's another kind of offering that we have within our program.

Eleanore: 9:43

That's a really wide range of people, that covers quite a lot. I can see why the program grew so quickly.

Julie: 9:49

Yeah! So… And we do try to be that open door for Santa Fe College. You know, people come in and take college courses but not everybody is the level where they need to be to be successful right off the bat. So, so we try and have something to offer to help people get there.

Eleanore: 10:06

And how is this funded? Is it - is there any charge to the people who participate in the program?

Julie: 10:12

A lot of our funding comes from the college, you know, they support us. But then we also get funding through federal grant dollars that are funded through the state of Florida, kind of flow through the state of Florida. We get grants and the - our students pay $30 a semester. So they do have an obligation. And $30 a semester can be prohibitive for some people, so I don't want to say that’s not much money, but it's definitely not what a college level course would cost. And through partnerships with different entities in the community or on campus, we're trying to get scholarship assistance. We've got, with the Educational Opportunity Center, their TRIO programs, they're helping with the $30 course fee starting in the fall, and they're also helping fund GED testing fees, because that's a fee that students have to pay in addition to their $30 course preparation fee. We've had help with our Displaced Homemakers program here on campus, they'll help a lot of our students with the cost for the courses or the fees. And then there's a community organization called Radiant Hands, and they helped our students with fees as well. So we look for partners for students who either the $30 might be prohibitive, or on the other end, for those who are seeking a GED, the GED testing fees might be prohibitive. Because those are $32 a section and there are four sections for the GED, so that could end up being quite a cost to a student.

Eleanore: 11:48

Yeah, especially if you don't have the money on hand, that's a really high barrier. So I'm glad that there's like, something like this where you can reach out to someone and see if you can get some help with it.

Julie: 11:57

Yeah, and we do, you know - we try and make a point to the students. Like, you know, if you don't have these funds, let us know and we'll see what we can do to help out. And also, I didn't mention once students go into like the CNA program or the 40 hour childcare program, there are fees above the $30 program costs. But we do have different sources for scholarships and assistance to help students with that, because the CNA program, the 165 hours is a Santa Fe certificate program. So that costs what certificate fees are.

Eleanore: 12:32

And have you been working with any of the apprenticeships - ? Julie: Not directly, but we have referred students

Julie: 12:38

to the apprenticeship programs, because those are wonderful. They help you find out who's hiring in that field, you get a job, you're learning on the job, but then your employer pays for you to go to school. Those are terrific programs. And people don't have to have a high school diploma to take advantage of those programs. And some of the programs that I'm mentioning, that we are referring students for and preparing students for, don't require a high school diploma, so they can access those while they are working on their GED and don't have to wait until that's done.

Eleanore: 13:12

That's great, because not having a high school diploma can really impact your lifelong income. So it's great that they still have opportunities. Is there anyone else that you partner with on campus or in the community that you'd like to talk about?

Julie: 13:24

We actually partner with a lot of people on campus. We have the Disabilities Resource Center, we have -- I mentioned Displaced Homemakers, the TRIO Educational Opportunity Center Program, all the program advisors, we contact them often to ask about their programs so we can refer students or they can come and talk about their programs with our students. On campus, they have a St. Share Wear, which is essentially a thrift store that they're opening again. It was closed for the pandemic. So that's a resource for students in need. There is a food bank here on campus for students who need food assistance. So there are lots of resources here. A counseling center, a Career Resource Center. And then in the community, we have lots of folks that we have partnered with and we work with. CareerSource is a big one. Vocational rehabilitation for individuals with disabilities, we refer to Voc Rehab. We've worked with the Gainesville Housing Authority. We've worked with Partnership for Strong Families. We have students who are in Peaceful Paths and Arbor House, St. Francis House, Grace Marketplace. We do have a couple of students who are in homeless situations so we're trying to get assistance for them. I'm sure I've left people out - Community Action Agency,- you know, [laughs] [inaudible] Eleanore: You work with a lot of people. [laughs] A lot of people! And this summer, we’re working to - Eleanore: Yeah. [laughs] a state initiative to encourage us to, to kind of formalize our partnerships. The library, I left out the library! But we worked with the Literacy Coordinator for the library. But - Eleanore: [laughs] I was gonna ask! Yeah. [laughs] So - and the public schools, Alachua County School District. So we're trying to make sure we're not leaving out people in the community and we're reaching out to those who can help our students, refer students to us, but also everybody has a cause that they're trying to help with. So can we refer students to them to get the support that students need? Because of course, we can't offer everything, but if somebody needs utility assistance, might be able to help, you know, that type of thing. SWAG Center, we work with them. [laughs] So yeah, the list goes on and on.

Eleanore: 15:49

Yeah. So you don't just help with education, you help with everything, with making sure that you have a stable housing situation where your bills are paid so you can focus on your education. Julie: Right. If you don't have that, it's really hard to think about the future. Julie: Right, exactly.

Julie: 16:03

And a lot of people have a lot of needs, like you say, in addition to education, and they might not know exactly who to reach out to. And so at least we can be a referral source or sit with them to help them make some phone calls or send some emails, because sometimes, navigating some bureaucracies can be tricky and difficult.

Eleanore: 16:24

It can be really intimidating, especially if you try to call someone and you just hit wall after wall. Julie: Right. And how can participants apply or find out more information about the program?

Julie: 16:34

Okay, so they can, of course, check on the Santa Fe website is one place, and just type in adult education. We have a lot of our phone numbers. I'll give you - a basic phone number is 352-395-5760. That's just our general phone line. Students can call and we will email them or talk them through the application process. Because we have a list of steps to apply that we can help them work through. They can either come into one of our sites to do the Santa Fe application - it is an online application, but they can come to one of our sites to do it there. And then once they complete their application, then we would have orientation with them and just tell them about the program, about the resources. We do some assessment to find out where their skill levels are, what they need to work on. They meet with an advisor individually to plan their schedule, to go over their test scores, to talk about barriers and needs. And then they'd start their classes. The, the sequence of events that I just told you is mainly for the Adult Basic Education GED students. For the ESOL students, there is a link on our webpage where they could just fill out a basic questionnaire. Our ESOL intake person will contact them. And then he has them come in and he helps them do the application here. So they don't even have to do the online application before they come in. He walks them through that, makes sure that they understand it, and then does their orientation and testing. And email, Eleanore: Yes. adultESOL@sfcollege.edu for the ESOL. Or adulteducation@SFcollege.edu. Eleanore: adulteducation@SFcollege.edu? Uh-huh. Eleanore: Okay. Do you have any upcoming events or application deadlines

Eleanore: 18:36

that people should be aware of?

Julie: 18:37

Yes. So our adult education GED classes are doing orientations at the end of June, and our Summer B term will start July 5 for Adult Ed. That doesn't 100% follow the college calendar, but it's our adult ed calendar. And then summer B will go until early August. What a lot of individuals who are listening to the podcast might be interested in doing is starting in the fall. So we will be doing orientations in July and early August and testing. And then I believe it's August 19th. I'm not 100% sure. But mid-August is when fall classes are starting. August 15 is when the Fall term is starting. [laughs]

Eleanore: 19:25

Okay. Awesome, so August 15th is the - yeah. Julie: But they’ve got plenty of time,

Julie: 19:28

you know, to get in touch with us, to do their orientation for a nice August 15th start.

Eleanore: 19:34

And is there any other information you'd like to provide that we didn't go over?

Julie: 19:38

You know, I think the main thing is if people are interested in improving their educational skills, if they have some goals and plans and hopes and dreams, but they don't quite know where to get started, I would say get in touch with us. Even if we're not the right place to start, we try and refer you to the right place, so at least we can be an entryway into Santa Fe College. And I do try and say, we try and be welcoming and supportive as people are getting started on their journey because I understand that sometimes it's scary to go back to school after you haven't been for a while. So we do try and support people as they're starting that journey and try and make it accessible for them. And I want to congratulate anybody who is making a plan and making a goal to further their education and we want to be their biggest cheerleader.

Eleanore: 20:29

That's great, because it can be really daunting to go back to school, especially if you didn't do well in school and that's why you didn't get your GED, or if you're facing some sort of issue, like if you're facing an economic issue or a disability that makes it more difficult for you. So I'm really glad that Santa Fe has options for people who have those additional hurdles. Julie: Yeah, yeah, that's a good way to say it. I think that about does it. Julie: Well, thank you. This was fun. And thank you, Julie. It was great to talk to you. Julie: Okay. Take care. Have a great day! Julie: Bye-bye.[music] Thanks for listening to Patrons & Partnerships. We hope you enjoyed this special episode, which unfortunately was posted a week later than expected due to the Juneteenth holiday. Our next collaborative episode with Santa Fe will most likely post on August 25th. We'll be speaking with Quinton Eyman, the Director of Recruitment and the Director of SF Achieve, Santa Fe's new program for high school students in Alachua County. We'll see you then. As always, you can find our episodes anywhere you listen to podcasts. The library's annual summer art show is on. Artists aged 18 or older are invited to submit their artwork between July 1st and July 30th to see their art displayed in a virtual gallery on our website and on our social media. Visit our site and look under the Events tab for the link to the entry form. Alachua County teens ages 11 to 17 looking to read and flex their trivia skills this summer can join the library district's annual Battle of the Books. Participants receive free copies of the three books selected for the competition, then face off in the Battle of the Books on July 23rd on Zoom. Check this episode description for a link to register. ACLD is happy to welcome you back for in-person programming at all library locations. Join library staff for arts and crafts, book clubs, and educational programs like computer classes and conversation clubs for ESL speakers. Visit aclib.us/events to view and register for programs.[music]