CAMDEN - Enrollment is open for an upcoming installment of the E3RPlus (Early 3 Rs Plus Parent Plan: Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic) Workshop, an ongoing familiy literacy project that is presented by the Literacy Coalition-South Central Arkansas.
Parents in Union County with children ages 3 - 12 are invited to participate in the next E3RPlus family workshop, which is set for 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 1 and 8 at the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources, 4087 Smackover Highway.
Organizers said the workshop will provide "two consecutive weeks of family fun, learning and sharing with other families."
The LCSCA launched the E3RPlus Project in 2022 with help from a grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.
E3RPlus is an anti-poverty, family program that assists single parents who are unemployed and underemployed and have children who are between the ages 3 and 12, Linda Nelson, executive director of the LCSCA, previously explained.
The rolling program aims to give children a head start on their education and help parents navigate the educational system for their children, while setting their own career and life goals.
E3RPlus family workshops will be scheduled throughout the year in Union and Ouachita counties.
The workshops include family sessions and breakout sessions for children and adults.
Guest speakers will address the group each week.
Discussions will center on reducing intergenerational poverty and LCSCA will provide "usable resources" for families.
Meals will be served to all participants and children will receive a To-Go-Snack Bag at the end of each workshop.
Nelson said space is limited to 10 families per workshop.
The deadline to register for the E3RPlus Workshop on Feb. 1 and 8 in Union County.
To register or for more information, call 866-462-7323.
The LCSCA also recently kicked off its The RISE (Reading Into Self Elevation) Digital Literacy Lab for adults, another rolling program that is held in Union and Ouachita counties.
The lab focuses on basic computer literacy training, including use of the internet, online safety and Microsoft Word.
The program also teaches such skills as basic cellphone functions, computer navigation, how to fill out an online job application and how to identify and avoid online scams.
Four sessions totaling 12 hours were scheduled to begin Tuesday in Union County. The second session is set for Wednesday and the final two on Jan. 22 and 23 at Zion Watch Baptist Church.
The deadline to sign up for the labs was Jan. 12.
The sessions are a component of the RISE Digital Literacy Mobile Lab, which provides basic computer literacy training for low-income families with children who are in first - eighth grade in Union and Ouachita counties.
The mobile lab includes activities for children.
Students in K - 12 who participate in the program also have access to The Achievery, a free online learning platform that was created by AT&T to provide "engaging and entertaining content paired with learning activities for everywhere today's connected students learn."
Last fall, AT&T donated $25,000 to the LCSCA to support and promote the mobile lab.
Like the E3RPlus workshops, Nelson said sessions for the RISE Digital Literacy Lab will also be offered throughout the year in Union and Ouachita counties.
Area residents who are interested in participating in either program are encouraged to look out for announcements from the LCSCA about upcoming sessions.