Our Mission: To improve the quality of life in our community by promoting and achieving literacy.
The Vision: That every child and adult in Palm Beach County becomes a reader.
The Need: In Palm Beach County, 22.2% of adults age 16 and older lack basic literacy skills.
Adults with low literacy:
• Can’t fill out a job application
• Can’t read a bus schedule
In Palm Beach County, 46 percent of third grade students read below grade level.
Children who can’t read well by the fourth grade:
• Begin to fall behind in every subject, not just language arts
• Are at greater risk of dropping out of school
About Us: Through extensive outreach and collaboration with a network of community partners, the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County is dedicated to ensuring that individuals receive the help they need to improve their literacy skills. The Literacy Coalition provides services to 29,000 adults, children and families through 11 programs in 169 sites from Jupiter to Boca Raton to Belle Glade. We teach adults with low literacy skills in the workplace and in community centers. We work with pediatricians to introduce low-income families to the importance of reading with their children. We provide reading partners who share books weekly with three-year-old children to help them blossom into life-long readers. We oversee a home visiting program that encourages verbal interaction and educational play between parents and their preschool children. We coordinate up to 40 Literacy AmeriCorps members who serve as tutors for children and adults and as graduation coaches to aid struggling high school students. We support and encourage literacy programs and initiatives throughout the county.