IMPACT

Adult Literacy Empowers

Literacy likely affects every part of your life, though you may not notice. For the 43 million adults in the U.S. with low literacy skills, it’s impossible to ignore.

Adults with less than a high school diploma earn three times less than those with higher education. Adult literacy yields better economic outcomes and can improve job opportunities, family relationships, children’s education, health issues, and general quality of life.

At First Literacy, we are committed to helping adults in Massachusetts improve their literacy skills so they can succeed in every aspect of their lives. That means helping adult learners continue their education and championing the incredible teachers who are on the front lines of the fight for adult literacy. With help from you and many others, our impact is significant and life changing.

Our Impact 2022-2023

8,616 

ADULT LEARNERS

benefited from First Literacy programs

1,220

ADULT LEARNERS

benefited from First Literacy Grant projects

35

CITIES

Cities and towns reached in Massachusetts

152

EDUCATORS

attended First Literacy workshops

460

HOURS

of free training helped adult educators in their classrooms

34

ADULT LEARNERS

received First Literacy scholarships to start or continue college

YOUR SUPPORT MAKES A DIFFERENCE

When you support First Literacy, you don’t just support the incredible students and teachers that are impacted by our work. It is estimated that bringing all adults to a sixth grade reading level would generate $2.2 trillion for the U.S. economy.

Adults with low literacy want to better their lives and contribute to the economy. Your donation can help make that possible.

FIRST LITERACY GRANTS

Since the introduction of the First Literacy Grants initiative in 2014, we have supported the development of innovative literacy programs across Massachusetts with unique hands-on technical support and field-wide sharing of project results.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

First Literacy professional development workshops provide teachers with free quality training in Adult Basic Education (ABE) best practices and evidence-based techniques to ensure that adult learners receive the high-quality education they need to reach their full potential.

FIRST LITERACY SCHOLARSHIPS

Since 1990, we have awarded over 500 scholarships to recent graduates of Massachusetts Adult Basic Education (ABE) or English (ESOL) language programs who are continuing to vocational training or higher education.

SCHOLAR STORIES

Luis

Luis

Luis is from Nicaragua. In 2018, his life took a drastic turn. He was studying industrial engineering at the Engineering University of...

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Kayla

Kayla

Kayla dropped out of high school when she was in twelfth grade. She was pregnant and just a few classes short of the graduation...

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Mark

Mark

When Mark suddenly lost his father in July of 2020, his life was turned upside down. He grew up watching his father work hard every day,...

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Damus

Damus

Damus came to Boston eight years ago when the United States welcomed victims of Haiti’s magnitude 7.2 earthquake in 2010. She stayed with...

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