Some students want to keep up with their studies while they are enrolled in area adult and continuing education programs. Other students wish to improve their job skills, increase vocabulary and comprehension. Others simply want to learn to read to their children or learn to write their names. By providing tutors, CALC helps retention and basic skills progress in these programs. We refer students to adult and continuing education programs. A tutor whose student decides to enroll in an adult education program is encouraged to continue working with their student.

We recruit and train volunteers to work with adult students who have requested assistance with improving their reading and writing skills. All students receive a professional diagnosis, which tutors use as a starting point for working with their students.

Increasingly, a strong work ethic and a strong back will not be enough to support a family. The global economy demands that workers can read, write, compute, solve problems and communicate clearly. Yet one in four adults cannot perform the basic literacy requirements for a job (U.S. Office of Technology Assessment, 1993). Seventy-five percent of today's jobs require at least a ninth -grade reading level (National Institute for Literacy, 1998).

All tutors receive 9 hours of training before meeting with their student. Tutor training workshops are scheduled monthly; for times and locations, see the schedule below or call The Reading People office. Pre-registration for the workshop is necessary to insure an adequate amount of supplies for all tutors. After training is complete, tutors are matched with a student recognizing individual preferences for times and locations. We ask tutors to commit to 2 hours per week for a six-month time period. Support and assistance are provided as needed.

To see the latest scheduled Adult Basic Education tutor training workshops, click here, or choose the Workshops navigation button from the right.

"We try to make a difference, but sometimes it can be surprising when the difference happens to us instead."
Edna Fulton, volunteer with Let's Celebrate Square Meal Community Center.