Literacy Council of Benton County

Contact Information

205 Northwest A St, Bentonville, AR 72712

479-273-3486

Organization Information

Mission:  Literacy Council of Benton County is a non-profit agency that increases adult English literacy by developing volunteer tutors to teach students because Literacy Changes Lives.

Vision:  We will empower more people to improve their quality of lives within the community we all share by increasing adult English literacy.

About:  Northwest Arkansas has a literacy problem.  More than 11% of the adult population in Northwest Arkansas is considered to be at Level One literacy.  Level One is defined as a lack of the basic skills necessary to solve the problems of daily life, and the inability to participate fully in society.  Adults at this level display difficulty using certain reading, writing, and computational skills considered necessary for functioning in everyday life.  Rewards of improved literacy include higher standards of living, improvement of family relationships, increased self-esteem and increased employment opportunities.

Services:  The Literacy Council of Benton County provides four main programs -

Adult Basic Literacy (ABL): a program of instruction designed for adults who lack competence in reading, writing, and speaking at a level necessary to function in society.
English as a Second Language (ESL): a program of instruction designed to help adults with limited English speaking skills achieve competence in the English Language.
Training: LCBC trains tutors in a special workshop (nine hours or less) to use a variety of methods and materials for teaching basic reading and English as a Second Language.  You do not need to know the student’s first language to teach ESL.
Volunteers: LCBC is also about volunteers.  We believe that volunteers bring a personal caring to the adult literacy cause that allows them to be especially effective both as tutors, board members, advisory board members and as community leaders.

Volunteer Opportunities:

With a small staff on full-time and part-time personnel, the Literacy Council of Benton County would not be able to accomplish its mission to develop readers to build a strong and literate community without the generous time and talents of dedicated volunteers. Volunteers are the heart and soul of our organization and help deliver literacy services to those who are in need.

Volunteer opportunities exist in a variety of areas based on an individual’s interests, abilities and schedule. Volunteering for literacy is a fantastic social interaction and when you volunteer it’s rewarding to know that your efforts are literally changing lives for the better.

All volunteers must be 18 and over. If you are interested in tutoring, please complete the Tutor Application on our website. If you are interested in volunteering, please complete the volunteer application on our website as well. For any questions, please call or visit our website.