Causes:
Crime & Law,
Education,
Ethnic & Immigrant Centers,
Human Services,
Immigration,
Inmate Support,
Literacy,
Remedial Reading & Encouragement
Mission: Literacy Action of Central Arkansas is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that strives to build a community empowered through literacy by teaching reading skills to adults and English language skills to non-native adults.
Approximately 145,000 adults (10%) in central Arkansas struggle with basic reading, writing, and math skills. These individuals have difficulty filling out a job application, understanding a prescription label, or reading a bedtime story to their children. Adult literacy is a factor in almost every socioeconomic issue, including parenting, health care, workforce development, and poverty. To address these issues effectively, we must invest in educating adults with low literacy. Adult education helps break the cycle of intergenerational illiteracy and poverty by giving adults the skills they need to be successful as workers and parents.
Literacy Action has worked hard since 1986 to teach literacy skills to struggling readers in the central Arkansas area. We have offices in Little Rock and Conway, but serve students from a seven-county area: Pulaski, Faulkner, Jefferson, Grant, Lonoke, Perry, and Saline. In the last 12 months, Literacy Action served over 600 adults, delivering over 11,000 hours of individualized instruction.
Literacy Action uses a one-on-one tutoring model for Adult Basic Literacy (ABL) instruction and a group conversation model for English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction. Learning to read or speak English enables our students to get family-supporting jobs, have better access to health information, and teach their children the value of literacy. Literacy Action provides a crucial service that benefits the entire community. All services are offered free of charge.
We have partnered with over 20 Local Community Partner Organizations (LCPOs) just in the past two years! Literacy Action would not have the resources and staff to reach many of the adults and families in our area who need literacy services without our LCPOs.
Results: Currently, Literacy Action is serving over 300 students with more than 150 tutors. Between 65-75% of our student population is ESL and comprised of Hispanic, Asian, Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, Central and Eastern European, and African students. Many of our ESL students are enrolled in group conversation classes where our tutors use a range of materials to help them succeed in our community.
Our ABL program is designed for people 18 years or older who read below an eighth-grade level. Many of these adults have coped for years with the enormous handicap of being unable to read and write well enough to function effectively in the community. They have realized that in order to improve their lives, they must improve their literacy.
Our goal is to reach more of these individuals, more quickly and more efficiently. This is why Literacy Action is expanding our Local Community Partner Organization (LCPO) program.
Our LCPO program is an initiative that combines the efforts of Literacy Action with local community organizations that lack the funding and the know-how to build a literacy program for their constituents. Our LCPO programs are total collaborative efforts between Literacy Action and the community organizations we are supporting. Currently, we have partnered with over 20 community organizations to develop new, individualized literacy programs. Some examples of these community organizations are the Pulaski County Detention Center, homeless shelters such as Our House, the Mexican Consulate, churches and church schools, community centers, colleges, and libraries who all serve children and their families. In order to best serve their communities, the LCPOs want to offer the adults and families literacy tutoring opportunities that meet a need of the community.
Literacy Action has worked hard since 1986 to build a community empowered through literacy by teaching reading skills to adults and English language skills to non-native adults. We have offices in Little Rock and Conway, but serve students throughout central Arkansas. In the last 12 months, Literacy Action served over 600 adults by delivering over 11,000 hours of individualized instruction. Currently, Literacy Action is serving over 300 students with more than 150 tutors. Between 65-75% of our student population is learning English as a Second Language (ESL). Many of our ESL students are improving their English language skills so that they can support their children for a lifetime of learning.
In 2018, Literacy Action is introducing a new family literacy program called Project LIFT (Literacy Inspiring Family Transformation). Project LIFT will bring families together to participate in literacy activities to benefit both current and future generations of our community.
Target demographics: Literacy Action has worked hard since 1986 to teach literacy skills to struggling readers in the central Arkansas area.
Direct beneficiaries per year: In the last 12 months, Literacy Action served over 600 adults, delivering over 11,000 hours of individualized instruction.
Geographic areas served: We have offices in Little Rock and Conway, but serve students from a seven-county area: Pulaski, Faulkner, Jefferson, Grant, Lonoke, Perry, and Saline.
Programs: Literacy Action uses a one-on-one tutoring model for Adult Basic Literacy (ABL) instruction and a group conversation model for English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction. Learning to read or speak English enables our students to get family-supporting jobs, have better access to health information, and teach their children the value of literacy. Literacy Action provides a crucial service that benefits the entire community. All services are offered free of charge.
We have partnered with over 20 Local Community Partner Organizations (LCPOs) just in the past two years! Literacy Action would not have the resources and staff to reach many of the adults and families in our area who need literacy services without our LCPOs.
