Indy Reads is on a mission to help empower people to reach their full potential
100% literacy for all
Indy Reads’ mission is to build the literacy, English language, and job readiness skills to empower adults and families to reach their full potential.
We are working to make our vision of 100% literacy for all a reality by providing:
- Free adult literacy classes,
- English language classes and tutoring for adults,
- Workforce certification programs, and
- HSE diplomas through our virtual and in-person Community Classrooms at Indy Reads and other locations throughout Marion County.
1 in 6 adults in Indiana read below a 5th-grade level
To understand the importance of what Indy Reads does, you only need to think about what you are doing right now. You are reading. It is a process so automatic for most of us, that we rarely think about its power.
According to a study completed by the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies in 2019, 43 million people in the United States have low literacy skills.
This means they cannot:
- Read well enough to complete a job application or understand a newspaper
- Take in the meaning of road signs
- Understand instructions on a medicine bottle
People with low literacy must gather information through talking, listening, and remembering. If they misunderstand initially or forget, that information is lost to them.
Breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty through reading
In a complex and interconnected world, reading, writing, and critical thinking skills are gateways to self-actualization, economic opportunity, and informed citizenship.
Adult literacy education helps break the cycle of intergenerational poverty, opening the door for adults to navigate daily challenges, access employment, pursue higher education, make informed decisions about health and well-being, and actively engage in civic life.
- Where most literacy programs require participants to have basic literacy skills, Indy Reads will support learners regardless of their starting point.
- In central Indiana, Indy Reads is one of the only providers of adult literacy programs designed to meet the goals set by adult learners themselves and not just the objectives outlined by state officials.
- Indy Reads’ student-first approach does not impose artificial time constraints on the duration of a person’s participation in our programs.
Together, Indy Reads provides central Indiana adults with essential literacy skills to help advance social, educational, and economic equity.
