Tacoma Area Literacy Council is dedicated to enabling adult speakers of English and speakers of other languages to acquire basic level skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking English toward their goals and self-suffiency.

Description:
Tacoma Area Literacy Council(TALC), an all-volunteer organization, offers free tutoring service to adults in basic literacy skills and in English as a Second Language(ESL). Tutor training workshops take place three times a year. The training takes place on three days and consists of 16 hours of learning to teach basic and ESL literacy skills. Tutors are trained to teach one-on-one with individual adult students. Volunteer tutors are expected to commit a minimum of 6 months, and to meet weekly with their learners. Teaching materials are provided to TALC members at reduced cost.

History:
Tacoma Area Literacy Council was the first provider of literacy tutoring in Pierce County. It was founded in 1967 by two women who were concerned about the lack of help in Tacoma for foreign born people who needed to learn to speak, read and write English. They trained and then tutored using the teaching method of Dr. Frank Laubach. After officially organizing, TALC became a member of Laubach Literacy Action. TALC now has a board of elected officers and a membership of approximately 200 volunteers. It gained status as a 501(c)(3) corporation in 1995. TALC receives no federal or state funding. Laubach Literacy Action and Literacy Volunteers of America have been folded into ProLiteracy America, and TALC is an affiliate of that national organization.

Contact person: Mary Ann Retailliau, Chairperson, (phone), (email)

Address:

P.O. Box 7210 Tacoma, WA 98417