Why we need your help

Adults need strong literacy skills...

... to raise children with stronger literacy skills and better school performance: Poorly reading parents read less often to their children, which leads to children less equipped to learn. Once children are behind in reading skills, they have only a 22% chance of catching up.** Children of parents with low literacy skills have a 72 percent chance of being at the lowest reading levels themselves.****

... to be good employees: Workers must be able to read manuals, write up reports, and communicate in team settings in order to work efficiently. Individuals at the lowest literacy levels have a higher rate of unemployment and earn lower wages than the national average. "Low literacy costs the U.S. at least $225 billion each year in non-productivity in the workforce, crime, and loss of tax revenue due to unemployment."****

... to be healthy: Visiting doctors, understanding medical bills, reading medication dosage and warnings, and comprehending pamphlets and nutrition labels are all part of staying healthy for a literate individual. "Reports show that the rate of low literacy in the United States directly costs the healthcare industry over $70 million every year."***

​... to be active community members: People with poor literacy skills are less likely to vote than strong readers. It has been found that community participation increases as literacy skills improve.*

... to avoid crime: Over 60% of all prison inmates and 85% of all juveniles who face trial in the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate. "Penal-institution records show that inmates who receive literacy help have a 54% reduced chance of returning to prison, as opposed to those who do not. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, up to '70% of the incarcerated population is believed to be illiterate in certain jurisdictions. Many criminals end up in prison because they do not have the literacy skills, the proper education, or the life skills to make it in life the way law-abiding citizens do.'" **

** Source: American Bar Association: http://apps.americanbar.org/litigation/committees/access/articles/spring2014-0414-reading-aloud-children-impact-literacy-crime.html
*** Source: DoSomething.org: https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-literacy-america
**** Source: ProLiteracy: https://proliteracy.org/Resources/Adult-Literacy-Facts

We do a lot with a little

Volunteer tutors at CAALC cannot perform their important work of literacy tutoring without the quality resources they need to educate students.

CAALC uses a variety of resources to teach adult students to read, including the Yes We Can Read phonics-based system and ProLiteracy's Core Reading system. Most students begin with learning letters and progress to 4th grade reading. Depending on the student's goals after reaching basic literacy, they can move on to the ProLiteracy Endeavor series. The entire program can provide a student with reading skills up to the 8th grade level, commonly referred to as functional literacy. CAALC also provides GED and HSET tutoring to adult students to give them the power to reach personal and career goals.

CAALC can start a student on the way to reading at a 1st grade level for only $30. An adult student can reach basic literacy for $120. Providing functional literacy to an illiterate student can be accomplished for $250. For the remarkable donation of $375, an adult student can go from illiterate to acquiring his/her GED.

CAALC can do a lot with a little of your support through a donation. Giving the gift of literacy to an adult learner not only improves his/her own life but also the workforce, the community, and the next generation of learners.