The mission of LCNV is to teach adults the basic skills of reading, writing, speaking and understanding English in order to empower them to participate more fully and confidently in their communities.
LCNV strives to be Northern Virginia's preeminent provider of literacy education programs for adults at the lowest literacy level with the goal of making measurable improvements in their lives and their communities. LCNV endeavors to serve as a model for other literacy organizations and non-profits by achieving excellence in all of its programs; effectively supporting the volunteers who make the programs possible; maintaining professional standards for its work; and operating in a financially sustainable manner.
The Literacy Council of Northern Virginia is the oldest non-profit adult literacy program in the state, and is an affiliate of ProLiteracy America, a national literacy organization that certifies trainers and provides instructional materials and support.
Throughout the country, literacy councils are based on the philosophy of training volunteers to teach literacy skills to adults in a student-centered one-on-one environment. Following this model, the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia (LCNV) was founded in 1962 and has since grown to be one of the largest literacy councils in the nation. In addition to one-on-one tutoring, LCNV has responded to the growing and changing needs of the Northern Virginia community by adding English language instruction in classroom settings as well. LCNV operates with community partners and is one player in Northern Virginia's very active service area. LCNV targets adult learners at the lowest literacy level, many of whom lack English speaking skills and have very limited financial resources - the very population least served by other agencies in the community. To encourage continued learning, LCNV also provides information on more advanced educational services. Further, for those individuals needing special education and/or social services, LCNV maintains active contacts with agencies able to provide such services.
In 2009, the Arlington Human Rights Commission awarded the Literacy Council its James B. Hunter Human Rights Award for LCNV's sustained advocacy of human rights and cultural diversity in Arlington County. In 2007, the Virginia Literacy Foundation awarded LCNV's Executive Director the Nancy Jiranek Award for outstanding leadership of a nonprofit organization.
The Literacy Council is also the recipient of the Virginia State Reading Association's Annual Literacy Award, and the Virginia Literacy Foundation's Award for Volunteering Excellence. In 1996, the then-newly formed ESOL Learning Centers partnership was also recognized by the Virginia Literacy Foundation as Virginia's most outstanding literacy project of the year.
Please use the links to the right to learn more about the Literacy Council’s Board of Director’s, community partnerships, and non-profit status.
The summer 2010 issue of LCNV's newsletter, Literacy Lines, is now available online.
