The Literacy Council’s mission is to improve the lives of adults and their families through literacy education that teaches people read, write, and speak English.

The Need

There is a growing need for adult literacy programs in our state and community. Nationwide, 22% of adults ages 16-74 read at the lowest level. Statewide, 24% of adults in Alabama read at the lowest level.

For many adults this makes it challenging to navigate daily life - from filling out a simple form to reading a prescription label to reading posted signage encountered daily to attaining employment. Low literacy impacts parents as they often struggle to support their children academically. And low literacy serves as barrier to new or better employment.

TLC Strategic Response

The demand for The Literacy Council’s services continues to grow each year, mirroring the community’s needs. TLC developed a strategic plan to responded to these needs. The plan includes additional programing and expanded service area to increase equity and access. The plans also ensures that TLC is responding to the specific and individual needs of adults and their families as well as various industries and businesses.  

TLC’s adult basic literacy and ESOL programs help people to gain the skills to gather, read, and understand information, and to problem-solve and make important decisions. TLC’s work with adults and their families makes it possible for parents to support their children as they too learn to read. TLC is filling the gap to meet the needs of the adult worker who is currently on the job and has the potential to improve their skills, or adults who are unemployed and seeking more robust opportunities for employment that will sustain themselves and their families. Bringing up the literacy rates per person by one level could result in a $3 billion economic impact* annually for Alabama’s economy and bolster our state’s workforce. (*Based on figures generated by economist Craig Alexander.)

The strategic plan goals include:

  • Continued growth driven by adults and families who need TLC’s services.
  • Filling the gaps in educational needs for adults.
  • Adding resources that will allow TLC to help remove barriers to learning; i.e. mobile hotspots, tablets for learners, learning software.
  • Expanding the agency’s county footprint.
  • Increasing access and programming to English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).
  • Providing programs that help justice impacted citizens re-enter society with better opportunities.
  • Continued commitment to programming that promotes and advocates for social diversity, inclusion, and equity.

Literacy is at the nexus of many societal needs. Adult learners’ needs are vast and they are working to attain personal and professional goals – attain a driver’s license, maintain sobriety, become an active member for change in their community, gain new or better employment, support their children to meet their own educational goals, vote for the first time, and read to their grandchildren.

Literacy is the cornerstone for change and plays an integral role in the success of all other social services. It follows the wraparound model of a strengths-based, needs-driven approach to addressing challenges.

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