85,000 adults in Kent County read below a 4th-grade level. These are people who most often moved to the United States for safety or opportunity, many times leaving behind a familiar life and successful careers. Others are native speakers who have faced systemic barriers to effective education.
Fortunately, there are educational centers like the Literacy Center of West Michigan providing access to education programs for adults with low literacy, numeracy, language, and digital skills. The Literacy Center also creates paths to citizenship, supports returning citizens, and partners with multiple school districts to provide a two-generational approach to children’s literacy.
One of these people who reached out to the Literacy Center is Belkis Torrez, who found herself struggling to navigate her new home in the United States after having a successful career in media broadcasting in her home country. She joined the Morning Mix, along with Carrie Machkouri from the Literacy Center, to share her story about how these programs helped improve her literacy skills and assist in her transition to living in West Michigan.
Learn more about the programs the Literacy Center of West Michigan has to offer by visiting literacycenterwm.org.
