Becoming A Volunteer - General Information

Community-based literacy programs throughout Illinois depend on volunteers to provide free one-to-one tutoring to low literate adults and those who want to learn English. Low literacy adults are a diverse group of people; a variety of reasons account for their low literacy skills. Adults wishing to learn English are usually immigrants who are planning to stay in the United States on a long-term basis.

To become an adult literacy tutor, most programs request that potential volunteers attend twelve hours of tutor training, generally offered in the evenings or on Saturdays. Some literacy programs charge a small fee for the training to cover the cost of materials. The training enables potential tutors to become familiar with the problem of low literacy, with the population of adult new readers and provides them with essential tools and techniques they will need to help adult learners reach their goals. Many programs also offer in-service training sessions throughout the year to provide tutors with opportunities to strengthen their skills.