A grant from Families First has allowed the Picayune School District to expand services provided under its Adult Education and Family Literacy program.
Adult Education Director Kelly Davis said the program was previously federally funded and required all participants to be older than 16. Now that funding has been received from Families First, Davis said she can expand the program to people of all ages.
Adult education classes are held at night from 4 to 8 p.m. and can help high school students with homework, prepare for the ACT test and provide tutoring. The classes can also provide reading intervention to children and adults whose native language is other than English.
Other services include adult advanced education, workforce development and basic keyboarding skills. The service can also help people find jobs through the WIN Job Center, Davis said. That assistance can include building resume, filling out job applications and conducting research into a career.
GED courses are also offered through the service and immigrants looking for a path towards naturalized citizenship can find help as well.
Registration for the classes begins Aug. 8 and will be held each Monday until Aug. 17, at the Picayune Career and Technology Center. The registration process can be completed between 5 and 8 p.m. each of those days.
There is no charge to attend the classes, which are held at the Career and Technology Center. Childcare services for participants are provided by the Early Head Start program, Davis said.
The aim of the program is to help families become more self-sufficient.
During registration, participants can also learn about other services in the area and learn how they can be referred to Pearl River Community College to continue their education.
Classes begin Aug. 28.