RLC’s Family Literacy Program lifts the whole family so they can meet personal goals, improve opportunities and build relationships and parenting skills. We know that parenting duties can be a barrier to parents pursuing their own educational goals. Here, the whole family is invited to get involved. We try to make programs as accessible as possible by offering classes at satellite locations, afterschool programs, summer, weekday and weekend classes. While parents take classes or work with tutors, our volunteers help kids build literacy skills. That can be through homework help, tutoring in challenging subjects, reading together, teaching English and more, but all with a focus on kid-friendly fun!

Our programs all contain a focus on building family relationships. Strong family relationships and supportive home environments “act as powerful protective factors that directly boost a child’s academic engagement and ultimate educational attainment,” according to the National Institutes of Health. Parents and caregivers of children are invited to enroll in the program. Racine Literacy Council also will work with area agencies and schools to accept referrals for families who could best benefit from attending.

Once enrolled, RLC will meet with each family member individually to talk about their goals. As a requirement of participation, parents must give RLC written permission to confer with their child(ren)’s teachers or caregivers. Parents will also set their own goals for academic learning, language learning, or personal development. For instance, adults may want to work toward earning a high school equivalency diploma or develop workplace skills that could lead to a job or promotion. RLC will work with the child(ren)’s teachers and parents to know what academic, social, and emotional development would be most helpful for them.

We offer on-site classes at our office at 734 Lake Avenue, as well as a satellite program in Burlington. Afterschool programs are available at Julian Thomas, Mitchell, Knapp, 21st Century Prep, Renaissance Taylor and Renaissance Villa.

The Family Literacy program is growing and we also need tutors!

Want more information? Call us at (262) 977-2871 to register or to become a tutor.