Member/Officer Login
Aquinas Literacy Center
Aquinas Literacy Center, located on the southwest side of Chicago, offers individualized instruction in English as a Second language to adult learners. Aquinas Literacy Center (ALC) believes that English language literacy is critical to meaningful participation in United States society and institutions and that an inclusive, successful and progressive community offers English literacy learning opportunities.
Program Statistics for 2008-2009
- 168 volunteer tutors instructed 230 adult learners
- Of our tutors, 69% are female; 75% of our learners are female
- In 2008-2009, Aquinas Literacy Center recruited 79 new tutors!
- Student demographics: 93% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 1% White
- 120 of our 230 learners are employed
- 210 students received one-on-one tutoring at the McKinley Park site; 20 students enrolled in small group instruction at the nearby Brighton Park Library
- Average age of a tutor = 48; average age of a student = 37
- Students received over 4,500 hours in instruction by volunteer tutors in 2008-2009
Impact
Our students thirst for Aquinas Literacy Center’s individualized curriculum and emphasis on learning survival English. Focused on one’s personal goals, our students are able to achieve their goals such as obtaining a job, becoming a U.S. citizen, reading to their children and communicating with medical personnel.
Stories from Our Beginning ESL Learners
I like to read, but when I read a story to understand it well, I need to read it three times. The first time I find too many words that I don’t understand. I use the dictionary to know about these words. I write the meanings. The second time when I read the same story I know the words. I understand better the story. The third time I read the story, I understand very well. Now I can tell the story to someone.
-
Angeles
I’m from Mexico. My town is in Jalisco. I remember December. My mother and father put up the Christmas tree. It was large and beautiful. We all reached up together, standing on chairs, to put the star on the top. On December 24th my mother and her sister cooked the dinner for that night. We ate 
different foods: tamales, pozole, chicken, salad, ponche and dessert. Before the baby Jesus arrived, my brothers and sisters put the shoes under the tree and in the morning we were happy because in the shoes were presents, trucks and dolles. It was the happiest day of our lives.
- Yolanda
I work cleaning houses. I enjoy my job. I can talk to people and meet new people. I go to different places and I do different things. I like this more than a factory job. Also I like the hours that I work. 
- Genoveva
I have a family. I’m a wife and mother. I have three daughters. I have four brothers and three sisters. I have a grandmother and a grandfather. I bake cookies for my daughters. I read books to my daughters.
- Magdalena
Virgina’s sister is Petra. Ernesto and Petra work in the restaurant. Ernesto and Petra are bus boys. We work at Ihop. Petra and I work at Ihop.
- Ernesto
