Valencia County Literacy Council Urgently Seeks Volunteer Tutors Amid Growing Demand

Thirty adults in Valencia County are on a waiting list for literacy instruction, and the Valencia County Literacy Council doesn't have enough volunteer tutors to reach them.

"Right now, the literacy council has a waiting list of about 30 students," said Devon Hoffman, VCLC administrative director, "and with not having enough tutors it makes recruiting students difficult."

The council, which has operated since 1987 as an accredited affiliate of both ProLiteracy America and the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy, published an update on March 12 flagging the growing gap between demand for adult literacy services across Valencia County and the volunteers available to meet it. All instruction the organization provides is free of charge, a policy it describes as designed "to ensure that financial limitations are never a barrier to education."

The students on that waiting list are not recent graduates brushing up on skills. "The adult students served by VCLC and its tutors are usually in need of 'more remedial help,'" said Pickering, a council spokesperson. "They went through the (education) system but didn't get what they needed."

The goals those students are working toward vary widely. Whether earning a GED, passing the test for a commercial driver's license, or learning to communicate more easily with a child's teacher, VCLC tutors work one-on-one with each learner. Tutors also help adults prepare for the U.S. citizenship test, build digital literacy and basic computer skills, and develop numeracy and financial literacy.

"We always need tutors, either interested in English as a second language or adult basic education for reading and math," Pickering said.

No prior teaching experience is required, and knowing a second language is not a prerequisite for teaching English. The council's training program, delivered by ProLiteracy America-certified trainers, is built on the assumption that volunteers speak only English and equips them with methods for instructing non-English speakers from the start. The time commitment is at least 60 to 90 minutes per session twice a week for a minimum of one year, plus an initial weekend training.

Beyond one-on-one adult tutoring, the council also provides free literacy-based childcare for adults attending literacy classes and places volunteers in low-income medical clinics across Valencia County to read to children and distribute free books.

Residents interested in becoming a tutor can contact the Valencia County Literacy Council directly to learn about upcoming weekend training sessions.