Education is the single most important modifiable social determinants of health, which are the social, economic, and physical environment factors that impact well-being, such as housing, access to health care and employment. Education predicts employment and income, which influences where someone can live and if they can afford health care. Education is not only what is learned in the classroom, but within soical, cultural, and economic environments. 

Performance Measures to Track Progress

• Kindergarten Readiness- "On Track" measure from Ohio Department of Education (ODE).
• 3rd Grade Reading Levels- State English Language Arts Test results from ODE.
• Adult Literacy- program completion and graduation rates of CARE (Career and Academic Readiness Education) at Mid-East Adult Center.

Indicators to Track Progress

• High School Graduation Rates 
• Adult Literacy Rates
• Basic Prose Literacy Skills

Summary
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, community activities and outreach was limited. We are starting to see these effects, and are focusing to improve literacy with youth and adults in our 2023 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). 

Education & Literacy

• Goal: Improve literacy rates for youth and adults in Muskingum County.
  • Objective #1: Increase kindergarten readiness and 3rd grade reading level by 5 % by youth engagement with partnerships and access to resources by 2025.
    • Action Steps (Kindergarten Readiness)
    1. Create Kindergarten Readiness Flyer
       • Recruit education experts to help by reaching out to all school districts, colleges, and universities.
       • Set up a hybrid meeting, hosts will be the Healthier Muskingum County Network and the Muskingum County Literacy Council.
       • Review evidence based materials and resources currently being used in this communty and others.
       • Review barriers families and children experience in Muskingum County (lack of internet access, time of working parents, transportation, etc).
       • Draft ideas and start creation of flyer.
       • Education experts will review, and share with other teachers to review and edit.
       • Final version will be reviewed by parents with focus group.
       • Kindergarten readiness has what is needed to be successful in kindergarten on the front side and on the back is tips and resources for parents to utilize that may or may not have internet access.  
       • Readability of Kindergarten Readiness Flyer goal- above 75% reading ease and lower than 5th grade level.
         • Flesch Reading Ease - 88% (final result)
         • Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level- 3rd grade (final result)
    2. Start outreach efforts of Kindergarten Readiness Flyer. 
       • Schools to disperse during kindergarten screeners.
       • Head Starts, preschools, and daycares to handout to parents.
       • Muskingum County Port Authority will email flyer to all large businesses so they can share with employees and have it in their summer newsletter.
       • Chamber of Commerce will promote flyer in their summer newsletter.
       • Reach out to Primary Care Physicans (PCP) and pediatrican offices so flyer will be given to children during their wellness check up. 
       • Dollar General emailing all their employees the flyer.
       • Laundromats will have flyer available for customers. 
       • Promote at events for back to school (Lace Up For Kids, Kindergarten Back Pack Event, Party in the Park, etc).
       • Traditional media and social media promotion.
    • Action Steps (3rd Grade Reading)
      1. Create a Tutoring Resource Flyer
         • Scan Muskingum County for current tutoring resources that are outside of schools.
         • Review with Education Experts on services and evidence based programs.
         • Create flyer and have group and parents review it. 
         • Start outreach to schools about tutoring resources "BrainFuse" that can be utilized at home (internet access), the library, or school.
           • Brain Fuse is free on demand, anytime, anywhere eLearning. Tutors are available from 2-11 PM to assist k-12 students with reading, science, history, english, foreign language, SAT/ACT prep, and more! 
           • Tutors have a masters degree and have completed a background check.
           • Must have library card to utlize this service. 
      2. Reach out to schools and programs to implement a Ready Buddy program.
         • Scan organizations and schools to gauge interest.
         • Interested organizations include: Mid-East CTC, Muskingum County Community Foundation (Youth), and Rosecrans. Ohio Unversity Zanesville starting "Reading Warriors" for their students majoring in Education for internship opportunities. 
  • Objective #2: Improve adult literacy by 5% by re-establishing adult tutoring programs with Mid-East CTC by 2025.
    • Action Steps (Adult Literacy)
      1. Mid-East CTC to resume their CARE program to help adults earn their GED and skills needed for jobs in our community.
      2. Muskingum County Library System hire Adult Literacy Specialist by Summer 2023.

2022 Situation Analysis

Major Findings

• Children not ready for kindergarten
• Low self-esteem, resilience, and coping skills among K-12 students
• High school graduates unprepared for post secondary education or work
• Adults with limited executive function, life and parenting skills
• Adults with limited health literacy skills
• Limited programs and resources located in neighborhoods

Summary

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 10% of Muskingum County residents are classified as lacking Basic Prose Literacy Skills (BPLS). These residents are unable to read and understand any written information. Among Muskingum County residents over the age of 25, 88.2% have a High School diploma or its equivalent. This is slightly less than in Ohio (89.7%), but higher than the national of 87.2%. However, there are pockets with low levels of education; adults without a high school diploma (or equivalent), some with levels over 21%. This stretches across four census tracts, mostly concentrated within the limits of Zanesville.

Education challenges are seen across the county as early as kindergarten, and this continues through to High School graduation. According to the 2019-2020 Ohio Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA), only 47.8% of all students are "Demonstrating in Readiness" for kindergarten, 33.8% are "Approaching Readiness" while 18.3% are "Emerging in Readiness". By 3rd grade, only 63.9% of students meet the state reading proficiency standards (2019-2020) and by graduation, only 38.8% of seniors were well prepared for the work world or for pursuing post-secondary education. 

Education, literacy, and life skills are identified as major needs in the community, spanning the life cycle. There is an understanding that these challenges are inherited, passing down from generation to generation. Parenting classes, basic life skills, coping/resilience, training, and workforce training are several missed opportunities for many adults across the county. Residents identified that the education solutions do not always need to be formal. Support groups, family event, and recreational opportunities are all effective solutions. 

Muskingum County Library System
Muskingum County Community Foundation
Muskingum County Literacy Council
Mid-East CTC
Caresource
Nationwide Children Ink
Muskingum Valley Educational Service Center
Zanesville City Schools
West Muskingum Local School District 
Ohio University of Zanesville
WIC (Women Infants & Children)
HMG (Help Me Grow)
Early Intervention
YMCA
Muskingum County Head Start
ZMHA
Bethel Community Center
Signing Up- Moving Forward Together