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WHERE LIVES

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JumpStart 2 Success is a six-week program that helps customers take the necessary steps to reach their academic and job goals.

Bridging the literacy divide

Addressing the Urgent Literacy Crisis and Promoting Workforce Readiness in Wards 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8

For more than 119,000 of DC’s adults, low literacy skills are a barrier to just about everything – completing their education, getting and keeping a decent job, and staying out of poverty.

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The Washington Literacy Center removes the barrier by teaching basic skills – word attack (sounding things out), fluency (reading at a proper pace), and comprehension (understanding and thinking critically) to adults who read below a fifth grade level.

The Washington Literacy Center(WLC) has been helping DC residents with the greatest barriers and fewest resources learn to read since 1963.

The WLC has grown into a dynamic

nonprofit with full-time staff,

professionally-trained instructors,

and  passionate volunteers.

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
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Destiny Barnett

Destiny Barnett is a WLC JumpStart graduate who plans to own a photography studio one day.  As a 23 year old single parent, Destiny is determined to give her 3 year old daughter Sage all of the opportunities she didn’t have growing up. Whether that means gymnastics lessons, or anything else that lets her explore her interests, Destiny wants to provide an array of options for Sage to figure out her passions.

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Destiny came to WLC through the D.C. Department of Health Services (DHS) with the goal of better understanding her work and educational options.  After she received her high school diploma from the Friendship Collegiate Academy, Destiny attended the University of Hartford in...

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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Susan Bendlin came to the Washington Literacy Center in June 2018 seeking an opportunity to touch lives by volunteering to teach reading to our students. There were several students who expressed an interest in continuing their studies through the summer, so Susan was able to begin teaching right away.


Susan comes to the Washington Literacy Center as an attorney with experience as a law professor and Dean of Student Affairs for several law schools. Susan has a wealth of volunteer experience for various community-level organizations, including a “Read to Succeed” program for elementary school students in Orlando, FL. Susan was able to transfer her years ...

Susan Bendlin

SPONSORS

We are proud to work with organizations that share our commitment to adult literacy. Our sponsors help make our work possible. WLC is proud to partner with leading corporations, companies, and foundations to support adult literacy.

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