Care Environment English for Non-English Speaking Staff

Market potential exists for on-site job training in long-term care (TLC) to help non-English-speaking indirect care dietary, housekeeping, and maintenance staff learn English for the work setting. Creative Action Inc, plans to develop and market the "Care Environment English (CEE) Program for non-English-Speaking Staff" in indirect care positions. Targeted to the LTC industry, the CEE Program will immediately improve the indirect care worker's communication with supervisors, other workers, and residents and will later enable advancement to better-paying positions within the facility. The CEE Program will consist of innovative learning materials with a learning station for self-paced practice, easy-to-use portable materials with phonetic transliteration in Spanish of English words for on-the-spot speaking and a curriculum for weekly training classes in "Care Environment English," and cultural competency. Phase I research and development will create prototypes and test the feasibility of the program curriculum, materials and components for use with Spanish-speaking workers. A counter-balanced control group design will be used. Guided by Phase I results, Phase II research will develop refined prototypes, expand use for other foreign languages, and extend technology to PDA-based language software and DVD multi-media materials. During Phase II, CEE curriculum, materials, and components will be finalized for commercialization in Phase III.