Indy Reads

ADVANCING SOCIAL EQUITY THROUGH EDUCATION (Fall 2024). For more than 40 years, Indy Reads has been working towards its vision of 100% literacy for all. Each program year, Indy Reads serves more than 400 adult learners in its tuition-free High School Equivalency (HSE), English Language Learning (ELL), Literacy Foundations, and workforce certifications Community Classrooms. Indy Reads also operates a community bookstore in Fountain Square that hosts more than 250 events annually and makes the joy of reading accessible to all.

Since 1984, Indy Reads has maintained a commitment to serving the most beginning-level learners with the Literacy Foundations program. As 1 in 6 Hoosiers cannot read above a fifth-grade level, this unique program meets a critical need in the central Indiana adult education sector. Across all of Indy Reads’ programs, 95% of students are immigrants, people of color, and/or living below 200% of the federal poverty line. In its 2023-24 program year, Indy Reads served adult learners from 48 different countries who speak 35 different languages.

Indy Reads’ adult education programs are facilitated by certified instructors and supported by a robust volunteer tutor program resulting in a student-centered experience that promotes community and increases participant confidence with personalized instruction. Indy Reads classes are available virtually and in-person, Monday-Friday in morning, afternoon and evening sessions, mitigating barriers to adult education such as childcare, transportation and work schedule conflicts.

In 2021, Indy Reads began its Customer Service Skills Program (CSSP), which offers an earn-while-you-learn paid internship in its community bookstore concurrently with a nationally recognized customer service credential.

Indy Reads’ programs equip participants with skills for better opportunities, improved health and increased community engagement. The organization’s strategic plan emphasizes expansion to support individual goals and agency. Indy Reads enables learners to uplift themselves and their families while pursuing their aspirations. Through its academic programs and community bookstore, Indy Reads raises cross-cultural awareness and the agency of underestimated populations to participate in and shape society.

In the image, adult students meet in a Community Classroom at Indy Reads for a pilot ELL summer course. This new class meets a need for existing Indy Reads students to continue practicing their English language skills between semesters.

Clowes Fund Field(s) of Interest: Immigrant Services