Adult Basic Literacy Education (ABLE) Learning Center

Mission: To promote literacy in Jefferson City and the surrounding communities.

Adult Basic Literacy Education (ABLE) was established in 1985. At that time, state and federal sources revealed significant numbers of functionally illiterate individuals in the area as well as increasing numbers of high school dropouts. To address this issue, ABLE began recruiting and training volunteers to tutor and offering free classes to help adults over the age of 16 and not currently enrolled in school to improve their reading ability.

We provide literacy education programs for teenagers and adults.

• Adult Program – Students work one-on-one with trained volunteer tutors, meeting weekly to achieve personal literacy goals such as reading to family, improving writing skills, enhancing conversational abilities, or preparing for employment. Since its founding, ABLE has supported hundreds of adult learners with thousands of hours of instruction.
• Middle School Program – To proactively address literacy challenges, ABLE launched a middle school program at Thomas Jefferson and Lewis and Clark schools. Trained volunteer tutors work with 6th graders to improve reading and comprehension, with most students showing progress by year-end. This program supports the #JCReads initiative in Jefferson City Public Schools.