Did you know? The Literacy Council was founded in 1977, when six women in Glen Burnie realized there was a need for local adult literacy tutoring.
Today, the majority of our volunteers are women. The same is true of our students.
We applaud and celebrate everything women do at the Literacy Council and in our communities and beyond to make the world a better place for all!
Help is a call or text away.
For anyone facing difficulties, dialing 2-1-1 connects callers with trained health and human services personnel who provide guidance and help with a range of needs, from utility assistance to legal guidance to mental health help.
211 help is available in more than 100 languages. Please see 211md.org to know all that the service offers. Calls are confidential, and there is a texting option as well.
The Community Resources page on our website at icanread.org features an organized list of government and community resources available to residents of Anne Arundel County. It includes websites and phone numbers for government departments and services, library resources, education, employment, immigration, and food assistance.
The Community Resources page is available in Spanish.
En Español: Recursos comunitarios.
This resources page, published by the Anne Arundel County Food Bank and updated regularly, provides information on where to find free food and basic necessities throughout the county. Pantry locations, contact numbers, and hours are included. Visit the resources page to download a pantry map that lists food, baby, and senior pantries all over Anne Arundel County.
Free virtual ESL classes at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Call OIC’s partner, the Center of Help (Centro de Ayuda), at 410-295-3434 to enroll.
Saturday, March 28, 3 – 4:30 pm, in the library cafe
https://www.aacpl.net/event/copy-intercambio-de-idiomaslanguage-exchange-219731
Saturday, April 25, 3 – 4:30 pm, in the library cafe
https://www.aacpl.net/event/copy-intercambio-de-idiomaslanguage-exchange-219732
Saturday, May 23, 3 – 4:30 pm, in the library cafe
https://www.aacpl.net/event/copy-intercambio-de-idiomaslanguage-exchange-219733
Monday, April 13, 6 – 7 pm
https://www.aacpl.net/event/language-exchangeintercambio-de-idiomas-221011
Monday, May 11, 6 – 7 pm
https://www.aacpl.net/event/copy-language-exchangeintercambio-de-idiomas-221012
February 18, 6 – 7:30 pm
https://www.aacpl.net/event/language-exchangeintercambio-de-idiomas-211110
Monday, March 18, 6 – 7:30 pm
https://www.aacpl.net/event/language-exchangeintercambio-de-idiomas-218723
Wednesday, April 15, 6 – 7:30 pm
https://www.aacpl.net/event/language-exchangeintercambio-de-idiomas-218724
Wednesday, May 20, 6 – 7:30 pm
https://www.aacpl.net/event/language-exchangeintercambio-de-idiomas-218725
Monday, March 30, 5 – 7 pm
Seeds 4 Success office
The group is most suited to Spanish speakers, and space is limited to 15 people. The evening features a welcoming atmosphere, enjoyable conversation, games, and light refreshments. Literacy Council tutors or students should email Wendy if they plan to attend.
In March, we join families, educators, schools, libraries, and bookstores in celebrating National Reading Month.
For the Literacy Council, work on reading and literacy is a daily, year-round mission.
Adult literacy affects all of us — approximately 59 million adults in the United States read at or below the lowest levels. Increasing an adult’s literacy skills by one level, from the lowest to the next highest, reduces their likelihood of living in poverty by 50%. (ProLiteracy)
The AACLC’s programs address adult literacy needs in Anne Arundel County, where the low literacy rate among adults is 15%, and the low numeracy rate is 20%. To see what literacy looks like in our communities, Maryland, and the surrounding areas, visit the National Center for Education Statistics’ US Skills Map.
ProLiteracy publishes an informative adult literacy fact sheet that highlights some of the costs of low literacy, including the challenges faced by immigrants.
Last year, our volunteers donated more than 18,000 hours in Anne Arundel County, providing adult education in communities where help is needed most.
Many thanks,
Jane
Help is a call or text away.
For anyone facing difficulties, dialing 2-1-1 connects callers with trained health and human services personnel who provide guidance and help with a range of needs, from utility assistance to legal guidance to mental health help.
211 help is available in more than 100 languages. Please see 211md.org to know all that the service offers. Calls are confidential, and there is a texting option as well.
The Community Resources page on our website at icanread.org features an organized list of government and community resources available to residents of Anne Arundel County. It includes websites and phone numbers for government departments and services, library resources, education, employment, immigration, and food assistance.
The Community Resources page is available in Spanish.
En Español: Recursos comunitarios.
This resources page, published by the Anne Arundel County Food Bank and updated regularly, provides information on where to find free food and basic necessities throughout the county. Pantry locations, contact numbers, and hours are included. Visit the resources page to download a pantry map that lists food, baby, and senior pantries all over Anne Arundel County.
Free virtual ESL classes at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Call OIC’s partner, the Center of Help (Centro de Ayuda), at 410-295-3434 to enroll.
Saturday, January 31, 3 – 4:30 pm
https://www.aacpl.net/event/hold-language-exchange-210591
Monday, February 16, 6 – 7 pm
https://www.aacpl.net/event/language-exchangeintercambio-de-idiomas-210585
Monday, March 9, 6 – 7 pm
https://www.aacpl.net/event/language-exchangeintercambio-de-idiomas-221007
February 18, 6 – 7:30 pm
https://www.aacpl.net/event/language-exchangeintercambio-de-idiomas-211110
Monday, March 18, 6 – 7:30 pm
https://www.aacpl.net/event/language-exchangeintercambio-de-idiomas-218723
Saturday, February 28, 3 – 4:30 pm
https://www.aacpl.net/event/intercambio-de-idiomas
Saturday, March 28, 3 – 4:30 pm
https://www.aacpl.net/event/copy-intercambio-de-idiomaslanguage-exchange-219731
Our first 2026 tutor training session will be held on February 21 at Woods Church in Severna Park, and a few spots remain for trainees.
Interested trainees should contact Jane.
We’re always looking for new, dedicated tutors, especially in northern Anne Arundel County (Glen Burnie and Brooklyn Park). In addition, there are always students from Annapolis and the Severn area on our waiting list.
We’re training tutors in basic literacy, ESL, math, and high school diploma preparation.
There are still a few spots left in our February 21 new tutor training class. Help us improve adult literacy and opportunity in Anne Arundel County — Refer a friend to become a tutor!
Check out this post for local ways to learn and celebrate Black history. This year marks the 100th year since the first national observance of Black history.
Many thanks,
Jane
Anne Arundel County Public Library celebrates Black history with a series of events across multiple branches. Activities include music and dance performances, movie screenings, book talks, and history presentations. Visit the library’s website at www.aacpl.net/blackhistory for a schedule of in-person and online offerings.
Many books of African American authors, interest, history, and culture are available at the library. Visit https://www.aacpl.net/blackhistory to review AACPL’s Black History Month booklists for ideas.
Attend the last two in a four-part public history and cultural series, “Rooted in Revolution: 250 Years of Black History in Annapolis,” hosted by the City of Annapolis at the Busch Annapolis Library. Each event is on Tuesday evenings from 5 pm to 7:30 pm.
February 17
Resistance & Reform: Civil Rights and Social Justice in Annapolis
Examining local civil rights organizing, desegregation efforts, and connections to national movements.
February 24
The Living Legacy: Black Annapolis Today & Tomorrow
Focusing on contemporary Black leadership, arts and culture, youth voices, and shaping the next 250 years.
Now through January 16, 2027
A visionary presentation that examines the 250-year history of the United States through a Black Feminist lens. The Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum is located at 84 Franklin Street in downtown Annapolis, just off Church Circle.
We are grateful to the Nora Roberts Foundation for supporting our adult tutoring programs with a 2025 grant. The Foundation’s contributions to our work over the years have helped hundreds of Anne Arundel County adults pursue their educational goals!
