About Us

Our mission

Literacy Chicago is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the literacy skills of Chicago-area adults and families.

Our Board of Directors

Literacy Chicago’s Board of Directors is a group of individuals committed to providing their expertise and guidance to our organizational activities. View a complete list of our Board of Directors.

Our history

Literacy Chicago draws its history from two well-known Chicago-area literacy organizations: The Literacy Council of Chicago, founded in 1968 and Literacy Volunteers of Chicago, established in 1968. Recognizing that they could make a greater impact on the city’s literacy needs as a combined entity, the two nonprofit groups merged in 1992, creating the organization now known as Literacy Chicago.

Literacy Chicago today is the largest not-for-profit provider of free, individualized adult education and family literacy services in Illinois serving almost 1,500 adult learners each year.

Our professional affiliations

As an organization, Literacy Chicago takes an active role in promoting adult education and literacy nationwide and worldwide, not just within the Chicago area. We maintain professional affiliations with a number of other well-known literacy organizations, among them, ProLiteracy Worldwide,the Illinois Adult and Continuing Educators Association (IACEA) and the City-Wide Literacy Coalition. Literacy Chicago is prominent in statewide literacy groups including: IACEA, the Illinois Community College Board Task Force on Adult Education and Family Literacy Funding, the Governor’s Advisory Board on Literacy, the Secretary of State Literacy Advisory Board, and the Illinois State Board of Education’s Advisory Board on Reading Excellence.

Our services

Literacy Chicago’s programs and services range from free classes in reading and everyday math to GED preparation. One-on-one and small-group tutoring in Adult Basic Literacy and English as a Second Language comprise a core part of Literacy Chicago’s mission--about 1,000 adult students benefited from these services last year. Literacy Chicago also maintains a student computer center for adult learners to pursue further study at their own pace.

Specifically, we offer:

Adult Literacy

Adult Basic Education (ABE) and GED Preparation

English as a Second Language

Literacy @ Work

Find out more about Literacy Chicago’s programs.

Our students

Those who come to Literacy Chicago for assistance span the spectrum in age, ethnic background and socioeconomic status. Test scores indicate about half read at or below the fourth-grade level before coming to Literacy Chicago. Adult learners seek literacy instruction for many reasons, such as being able to fill out a job application to being able to understand and assist with a child’s school assignments.

Our results

Through our work, Literacy Chicago directly helps adult learners and their families achieve greater self-sufficiency. By improving their basic education, employability and life skills, including reading, writing, computation and English-language use, our students live richer and more productive lives at home, at work and in the community.

Get information on volunteer opportunities and ways to give to Literacy Chicago.

Our staff

View a complete list of our staff.

View biographical information on the leadership team of Literacy Chicago.