Adult Literacy Plus of Southwest Arizona

Program Overview

Adult Literacy Plus of Southwest Arizona (ALPS) is a full-time advocate for adult literacy in Southwest Arizona. As mentors, we change lives through outreach programs, adult basic education, ESL instruction, workplace preparation and training, and tutoring. Our program facilitates success within the family, workplace, and the community.

History

Adult Literacy Plus of Southwest Arizona (ALPS), formerly known as The Yuma Reading Council, was formed in 1981 in Yuma, AZ. It is a nonprofit school that serves adults 16 years of age and older. ALPS was created by a group of volunteer teachers who were dedicated to expanding adult literacy skills, and that was the main focus in the beginning of its development. The agency has since grown and gained significant recognition in the State of Arizona as one of the leading adult education programs sponsored by the Arizona Department of Education/Adult Education Services.

ALPS services have grown past the stage of just helping individuals improve their literacy skills. Currently, the program offers highly qualified instructor-led classes at several different levels in both Mathematics and Reasoning through Language Arts for those individuals working towards obtaining their High School Equivalency (HSE) diploma. This Blended model of classes meet for six hours a week on-site and are supplemented by 16 hours a week of online study with Odysseyware and Burlington Core. Students receive individualized educational plans specifically tailored to their academic needs and skill levels. Entrance is welcome to those residents who already have a high school diploma or HSE but want to improve their skills for advancement in the job place and for entrance into post-secondary institutions.

In addition to the face-to-face classes, students may also participate in Virtual Education classes and study from home or from any library through our partnership with the Yuma Library District. Students in this program complete a minimum of 25 hours a week of online studying and meet virtually through Zoom twice a week. ALPS also offers English as Second Language Classes for those residents needing to improve their English skills for the workplace or entrance into post-secondary institutions and certificate programs.

Being a full-time advocate of adult literacy in Yuma County and its surrounding areas, ALPS has seen successful expansion and outreach in the community to encompass the areas of the Foothills, Somerton, and San Luis through technology and our partnerships with library districts.
ALPS is determined to move forward to build the bridge between education and the labor market, and is intentionally working to improve the lives of those utilizing their services through education and marketable job skills. As ALPS moves forward with this new project, we are continually expanding our technology offerings and improving the skills of the teachers as well. Rest assured that Adult Literacy Plus is tirelessly creating innovative programs to prepare its students to be college and career ready in today's competitive society.

Student and Volunteer Success Stories