Anne Arundel County Literacy Council

ProLiteracy Training for Tutors

April 1, 2026

Access Teacher Training Plus on ProLiteracy’s Website

Continue your tutor training by participating in free webinars for trained tutors. This ProLiteracy resource provides best-practice instructional strategies. Four training areas are offered: Adult Foundational Education (for native English speakers), English Language Learning, High School Equivalency Instruction, and Workplace & Digital Literacy.

Webinars are about an hour long. They are listed by date, and past webinars are also available for viewing.

The next round of Teacher Training Plus classes includes:

April 8: English Language Learning — Encouraging Adult ELL Students to Practice Speaking Outside of Class

April 22: High School Equivalency — “Can You Show Me A Different Way?”

May 6: Adult Foundational Education — Yes, Early Level Learners Can Think Critically!

May 20: Workplace and Digital Literacy — The Power of “Yet”: Cultivating Growth Mindset

Check Out ProLiteracy’s YouTube Channel

For easy access to ProLiteracy training and instructional webinars, visit ProLiteracy’s YouTube Channel, where you can watch at your convenience. The YouTube Channel is searchable and offers videos on all subject areas…

Using phonics to improve reading and engagement regardless of student reading level.
Developing vocabulary: effective strategies for adult English learners.
How to write a great GED extended response.
Landing the job: preparing learners for applying and interviewing.
And much more!

Welcome New Tutors

March 30, 2026

Welcome to the Literacy Council!

Another enthusiastic training class joined us at Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church on February 21. Many of these new tutors are already matched with students.

Lots of thoughtful, helpful hands make our training events a success. Thank you, staff, trainers, tutors, and volunteers, for contributing your time before, during, and after each session.

We couldn’t host in-person training without Woods Church and its kind and accommodating staff. The church donates its classroom space and staff support.

Our next training class will be scheduled for June. Refer a friend.

AACLC Tutors Facebook Group

March 29, 2026

Facebook Group for Tutors is Active

The Literacy Council has a Facebook Group for AACLC Tutors to share ideas, resources, and solutions.

The group is titled “AACLC Tutors.” Tutors are invited to search for it on Facebook and ask to join. The group is moderated by AACLC staff and volunteers. This is a private group, and there are ground rules about privacy and courtesy. For more information, look us up on Facebook.

The Literacy Council will continue its informational, public Facebook page at facebook.com/AACLC.

Literacy Matters

March 28, 2026

Literacy Matters! Select Books on Adults & Reading

Unread: A Memoir of Learning (and Loving) to Read

Oliver James, who shared his dedication to learning to read as an adult on TikTok, has written a memoir. It was published in February and is available at AACPL. Mr. James writes about the shame, fear, and isolation he felt when he was a young man unable to read. He describes his many coping mechanisms and how gaining strength in reading opened whole new worlds to him. A list of books he enjoyed on his reading journey is included.

Spell Freedom

Septima Clark was a schoolteacher in segregated South Carolina when she teamed up with three other social justice activists to launch the Citizenship School Project. It began in 1956 with a secret classroom in the back of a grocery store on rural Johns Island, SC. Black adults who had been denied education and lacked basic literacy skills learned to read, write, prepare to vote, and more. Spell Freedom tells their determined story — available at AACPL.

Happy Women’s History Month!

March 25, 2026

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!

We’re Accepting New Students

March 24, 2026

Adult Literacy Resources March 2026

March 24, 2026

211 Maryland

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.

Community Resources at icanread.org

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.

Anne Arundel County Food Pantry & Resources

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.

OIC of Anne Arundel County ESL Classes

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.

Language Exchange at Busch Annapolis Library

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

Language Exchange at Linthicum Library

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

Language Exchange at Brooklyn Park Library

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

Language Exchange at Busch Annapolis Library

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

AACLC’s English Conversation Group in Eastport

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.

Director’s Message March 2026

March 24, 2026

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

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Happy Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2026

Adult Literacy Resources February 2026

February 13, 2026

211 Maryland

Help is a call or text away.

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.

Community Resource Information on our Website

The Community Resources page is available in Spanish.

En Español: Recursos comunitarios.

Anne Arundel County Food Pantry & Resource List

OIC of Anne Arundel County ESL Classes

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.