Kalamazoo Literacy Council

THE KALAMAZOO LITERACY COUNCIL (KLC) IS A 501 (C) (3) NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION COMMITTED TO ENHANCING THE LIVES OF ADULTS BY IMPROVING THEIR READING, WRITING, SPELLING AND COMPREHENSION SKILLS. THE KLC WAS FOUNDED IN 1974 AND IS THE ONLY ORGANIZATION IN KALAMAZOO COUNTY WITH THE EXCLUSIVE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING FREE BASIC LITERACY INSTRUCTION TO ADULTS. FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS THE ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN THE LEADING VOICE FOR THE CAUSE OF ADULT LITERACY, MOBILIZING AND TRAINING VOLUNTEER TUTORS TO TEACH STRUGGLING ADULT READERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.

ADULT TUTORING PROGRAM: THE KLC OFFERS FREE LITERACY TUTORING AND FREE EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS TO ADULTS WHO HAVE BEEN EVALUATED BY THE KLC. THE ORGANIZATION ADMINISTERS ASSESSMENTS TO DETERMINE THE READING LEVEL OF STUDENTS. THE KLC THEN MATCHES A TRAINED TUTOR WITH AN ADULT STUDENT TO ENGAGE IN WEEKLY TWO-HOUR TUTORING SESSIONS. THE KLC ALSO ADMINISTERS PRE- AND POST-TESTS TO MEASURE PROGRESS TOWARD WORKFORCE, EDUCATIONAL AND PERSONAL GOALS. THE KLC PROVIDES TUTOR TRAINING FOR QUALIFIED VOLUNTEERS IN THE LAUBACH METHOD. PRESENTLY, THE KLC RECRUITS, TRAINS AND EQUIPS VOLUNTEERS TO TUTOR ADULTS AND HAS APPROXIMATELY 95 ACTIVE TUTORS ASSISTING 239 ADULTS IN NEED OF LITERACY EDUCATION IN THE COMMUNITY WITH 48 OF THE TUTORS AND STUDENTS BEING PAIRED. THE TUTORS COMMIT TO 14-HOURS OF TRAINING AND A MINIMUM OF A YEAR OF SERVICE. THE COUNCIL PROVIDED FREE EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AND SERVICES TO OVER 100 TUTORS AND OVER 500 LEARNERS; AND HAS ESTABLISHED 14 LITERACY CENTERS IN AREA NON-PROFITS TO SERVE ADDITIONAL STUDENTS. ESL OF SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN: THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES FOUR LEVELS OF ESL INSTRUCTION, INCLUDING LANGUAGE, SPEAKING, LISTENING, AND BASIC LITERACY. IT IS THE LARGEST ESL PROGRAM IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN, SERVING MORE THAN 150 LEARNERS FROM MORE THAN 45 COUNTIES. ADULT LEARING ACTION NETWORK FOR THE LEARNING NETWORK OF GREATER KALAMAZOO: THIS NETWORK IS A GROUP OF NEARLY 30 ADULT EDUCATION, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL), LITERACY AGENCIES, AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THAT MEETS MONTHLY TO DETERMINE ADULT LITERACY PRIORITIES, IDENTIFY AND EXPAND RESOURCES, AND ALIGN SERVICES AND PROGRAMS IN THE COUNTY. IT HAS PROVIDED A COLLECTIVE VOICE FOR ADULT LITERACY SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN SEPTEMBER 2010 AND IS THE PRIMARY FORUM FOR SHAPING COMMUNITY-LEVEL GOALS FOR ADULT LITERACY IN KALAMAZOO COUNTY. THE KALAMAZOO LITERACY COUNCIL (KLC) SERVES AS ITS FACILITATING AGENCY.