Adult Basic Literacy Tutoring in Central Alabama
Free one-on-one reading and writing help for adults, at your own pace.
What We Offer
Reading and Writing Help, One Person at a Time
The Literacy Council offers free one-on-one tutoring for adults who want to read and write with more confidence. You work with a trained volunteer tutor who works with you and only you.
We start with your goal. You might want to read to a grandchild, pass a test at work, or read a lease or your own medical papers without help. Your goal sets the plan. Many learners use tutoring to get ready for a GED program, or take it alongside our free English classes.
You can meet in person at a library, a church, or the Salvation Army Center of Hope in Birmingham, or you can meet online. There is no set finish date.
How to Get Started
Three Simple Steps
1. Call or Message Us: Tell us your first name, your county, and that you want help with reading. That is all you need for the first call.
2. Talk About Your Goals: We learn what you want to be able to do, so your tutor starts in the right place.
3. Meet Your Tutor: You are matched with a trained volunteer and begin in person or online.
A No-Stigma Environment
Nobody Is Going to Make You Feel Small
Adults who have worked around a reading difficulty for years do not need a classroom that moves at someone else's pace. We have built a respectful, no-stigma environment over three decades because it is what works for adult learners.
What you share stays between you and your tutor. There is no test to get in and no level you must reach before you start. Tutoring is free, with no income requirement.
Why Literacy
You Are Not the Only One
Nearly two out of three adults in our part of Alabama read at or below an eighth grade level. Most have found ways to get by. Very few talk about it.
You may read the mail only when nobody is around, ask a family member to fill in a form, or turn down a job because of the paperwork. If that sounds familiar, it is not too late, and you do not have to do it alone.
Related reading: Building Reading Confidence in Someone You Care About · New Year, New Goals: How to Build Confidence and Improve Adult Literacy
Service Area
Where We Work
The Literacy Council serves Jefferson, Shelby, Walker, St. Clair, and Blount counties, with virtual tutoring available in all five.
