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SHINE a LIGHT

Year in Review!

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Job Literacy

In today’s workplace, literacy levels and job skill development go hand in hand. Higher literacy levels improve our economy by helping adults get family-supporting jobs.

Family Literacy

Parents who have at least basic literacy skills can make a big difference to their children’s future by supporting them in school and engaging in family literacy activities.

Health Literacy

Adults with low literacy skills are hospitalized at much higher rates than those with more literacy. Better health literacy can mean healthier lives and saved money.

Literacy is our most critical skill …

… and it can mean the difference between a life well lived and a life of hardship. Unfortunately, more than 43 million Americans read at or below a basic level—with nearly 100,000 in central Arkansas alone struggling with basic literacy skills that most of us take for granted.

Teaching an adult to read has a profound and lasting impact on their ability to function successfully within our community by improving their ability to find and retain family-supporting jobs, engage in family literacy activities, and help make informed decisions that will ensure healthy lives.

Since 1986, Literacy Action has trained volunteer literacy tutors to provide basic literacy and English language instruction to thousands of adults in central Arkansas. Our success depends on the support of individuals and organizations who believe that literacy has the power to build and transform communities. We invite you to become engaged by learning more about adult literacy issues, volunteering as a literacy tutor, or by making a donation.

How We Do It

Literacy Action offers a welcoming community for adults to improve their literacy skills and enhance their quality of life—for free. With support from volunteers, donors, partners, and the community at large, Literacy Action invests in Central Arkansas’ greatest asset: our people.

Our volunteer instructors and tutors build a collaborative learning environment where adult students can expand their reading, writing, and speaking skills. Our personalized approach allows students to shape the instruction they receive, leading to improved literacy and life skills.

Our Model

INSTRUCTOR-LED:

Qualified volunteer instructors teach relevant, responsive, and level-appropriate curriculum for small groups of students in a classroom or online environment.

TUTOR-DRIVEN:

Trained volunteer tutors help our students meet their individual literacy and communication needs in one-on-one tutoring sessions, usually twice a week.

STUDENT-CENTERED:

Each student identifies academic and personal goals, and tutors design lessons to help them meet these goals. Students and tutors can meet for lessons at a location and time that is convenient for them.

Help Literacy Action thrive with your gift today

We cannot do it without you! Help us continue the fight against illiteracy in our community and improve the lives of our students one word at a time. Your gift helps Literacy Action thrive, grow, and serve more of the nearly 100,000 students in the central Arkansas area that cannot read.

Literacy Action Stories

Amanda Gets a New Job!

Amanda Gets a New Job!

(Updated June 2020) Amanda started literacy tutoring in July 2018 with a great attitude and ready to get to work. At that time, Amanda was in the middle of a job search because she had recently lost her job at a local nursing home. From the beginning, Amanda's first...

Overcoming Doubt to Learn to Read

Overcoming Doubt to Learn to Read

Overcoming Doubt to Learn to Read: William's Progress and Potential When William became a student nearly six years ago, he could only write his name and sing the alphabet. His supervisor brought him to our office because he wanted to learn how to read. She told the...

Surviving War and Turmoil

Surviving War and Turmoil

Surviving War and Turmoil: Theva's Journey from Laos to Learn English By: Irma Jaime, AmeriCorps Tutor, Literacy Action of Central Arkansas When Theva was 18 years old, she came to the United States from Laos, a country in the midst of war and political change. When...

Being Brave to Learn English

Being Brave to Learn English: Sam's Journey to Conversational English By: Cara Gieringer, Volunteer Tutor at Literacy Action Sam Park moved to the United States in February 2017. Before that, he lived in Busan, the second largest city in South Korea. Sam worked at the...

Students (2019)

Instruction Hours (2019)

Tutors (2019)

Years Established

Get In Touch

Little Rock – NEW LOCATION!
9301 N. Rodney Parham Road
inside Grace Presbyterian Church Education Building
Little Rock, AR 72227
(501) 372-7323
Email: sstandridge@literacyactionar.org
Hours: Monday-Thursday: 9:00am – 4:00pm

Conway
1900 Tyler Street | Conway, AR 72034
(501) 329-7323
Email: lauralatch@literacyactionar.org