Volunteering | Basic Adult Literacy (BAL) Tutor

The Literacy Council's Basic Adult Literacy (BAL) Tutoring Program provides volunteer opportunities for people who want to teach students individually rather than in a group situation. Each tutor is matched with one adult student to whom the tutor provides individualized instruction, aimed at helping the student achieve his or her own learning goals. Each pair of tutors and students meets once or twice a week for approximately an hour and a half each session. Volunteers in the tutoring programs have considerable flexibility, since each tutor/student pair sets its own schedule and meets at any public place, such as a library or community center, that is convenient to both members.



We request our tutors to work with their students for at least nine months. Many tutors, however, stay with the program much longer and develop long-term relationships with their students. These relationships are extremely rewarding to the tutors as well as to their students. Improvements in student self-confidence are often apparent from the start, and our tutors experience great satisfaction from helping their students achieve their goals and improve their lives.



The Basic Literacy Tutoring Program provides one-on-one assistance for adults who can speak and understand English, but need help with reading and writing. Volunteer tutors provide specialized instruction that allows each student to progress at his or her own pace. This is the only region-wide program specifically for adults who read below the fifth grade level. The program is designed to provide students with a firm base of literacy skills with which to pursue further educational goals.



Tutors do not need to have any prior experience in education. They need only a desire to assist an adult to read and write English. In order to become a Basic Literacy tutor, you must attend a 12-hour training workshop at the Literacy Council. The training is held four times a year. The registration fee is $40, which partially covers the cost of books that will be used with the student. This training is held at the James Lee Community Center at 2855 Annandale Road. in Falls Church, VA 22042, but after you are trained, your volunteer service will be in your own neighborhood.



Upon completion of their training, volunteers receive certification from the Literacy Council. Continued support is provided through regularly scheduled in-services, a quarterly newsletter, and individual assistance by Literacy Council of Northern Virginia (LCNV) staff and long-term volunteers. The Literacy Council also maintains a resource library which includes a wide range of supplemental materials.