The READ Program
Studies show that one out of five Americans cannot read and write well enough to function in everyday life. of Education estimates that 36,000,000 adult Americans are functionally illiterate. Illiteracy affects men and women of all ages, races, and backgrounds. The Literacy Council of Hot Spring County Inc.(LCHSC) is a nonprofit volunteer organization that is fighting against illi
teracy through the READ Program, which provides…
• Tutor training
• Learner placement with tutors for basic literacy and English as a Second Language(ESL)
• Learner assessment
• Counseling and referrals
• Student and tutor books and materials
• Classrooms/Study Space
Our goal is to provide our learners with the tools and help they need to learn to read and to break the multi-generational cycle of illiteracy. Page Street
Malvern, AR 72104
Office Hours:Monday- Thursday, 9am-4pm
Office Phone- (501)229-1686
Fax- (501)229-1688
Email- [email protected]
More Information:
LCHSC, Inc. is a 501( c )3 volunteer organization. Our mission is to attain and maintain excellence in staff development and management to decrease the problems of adult illiteracy and the cycle of illiteracy in Hot Spring and Saline Counties resulting in socio-economic fulfillment of the individual and society. The READ Program is a non-profit, 501©3 volunteer organization. It is made up of a Board of Directors (our governing body); volunteers that do administrative work, fundraising and tutoring; and most importantly, our students/learners. Everything we do at READ revolves around how we can best serve the needs of our students. We look for any type of accessible funding. Funds are expended to pay for overhead such as rent and utilities, salary for one full-time director, match stipend for AmeriCorps members and consumable and non-consumable books and materials for our library collection. READ has received corporate and private foundation grants, federal grants, state grants, fundraising monies, individual donations and support from our local communities. Our main focus is working with adults. When we have accessible tutors, such at College of the Ouachitas Federal Work Studies or retired teachers willing to work with children, we will work with people under eighteen years old. We enroll students who come to us of their own will or were brought to us by a relative or neighbor. Some learners are referred by programs such as Department of Community Corrections (DOCC), the Hot Spring County & Saline Counties’ Drug Courts, Pathfinders in Benton, employers, etc. For over eight years, we have trained inmates to tutor inmates at the Ouachita River Correctional Unit (ORCU) in Malvern. READ offers services to any person regardless of income, race, creed, gender or disabilities. There are no costs related to the tutor or learner – all materials and facilities are provided. If a financial problem could be a barrier to learning, we have removed it by not charging for services. We refer learners to the agency or organization that best suits their particular barrier when the need arises. If a woman and her children are hungry she cannot readily learn. She and her family’s immediate needs must first be addressed. Our main goal is to offer instruction to people in ways they can absorb. Working one-to-one with volunteer tutors offers a real advantage. A person can use in his/her personal learning style. If one way does not work then another will. Learners are assessed for their beginning reading and/or math level. Our base curriculum is the Laubach Way to Reading Series, although alternative and multiple methods are available. Students are constantly exposed to numerous learning modalities to reinforce what they learn. Seeing, speaking, hearing and writing are constantly reinforced. Learning styles that work, pinpointed by the tutor and/or student for that individual, are given extra focus. Learners and tutors are matched by available times for tutoring, location and personalities. At any time the “match” does not seem to be working (for whatever reason), staff will respectfully rematch the pair.
