The State of Adult Literacy and Charting a Way Forward: Building a Strategic Plan from Community Member Insights
Heather Chantelois-Kashal, Program and Operations Director at Fox Valley Literacy
Brian Leone Tracy, Executive Director at Fox Valley Literacy
In 2025, Fox Valley Literacy completed an adult literacy community needs assessment that over 800 individuals and 37 organizations participated in. We will share the findings, highlighting the extent that community members struggle with multiple forms of literacy in their daily lives and how this research is guiding our strategic plan and redirecting our program development. This presentation will help provide other literacy program leads with data on the complexity of literacy needs facing our communities and ideas for program and organizational development rooted in community insight and collaboration. Participants will have time to discuss how the challenges and possibilities presented might relate to your communities or organizations and brainstorm possible next steps.
