Contact Us                 

Phone: (919) 489-8383
Fax: (919) 489-7637
info@durhamliteracy.org

Mailing Address:
Durham Literacy Center
P.O. Box 52209
Durham, NC 27717

Classroom Locations:
We have several classroom sites. Please click here and scroll down for addresses, hours, and contact info for each site.

Office Location:
SunTrust Bank Building
Suite 102
4235 University Dr.
Durham, NC 27707





      

About

The Durham Literacy Center (DLC) works to assist Durham County teenagers and adults achieve personal goals and experience positive life change through increased literacy. We help teenagers and adults gain the reading and writing skills, English language skills, and educational credentials (GED) needed to earn a living wage. In addition, we are increasingly seeking ways to integrate technology and computer literacy into our instructional programs to enhance our students' capacity to achieve their goals.

Our Mission

The mission of the Durham Literacy Center is to empower Durham County residents who want to enrich their lives by improving their literacy skills.

Our Vision

The vision of the Durham Literacy Center is to increase the number of literate adults in Durham by delivering the best possible literacy services to Durham's English and non-English speaking adults and teens who want to empower their lives through literacy. In achieving this vision we will also have accomplished:

  • Broader and enriched partnerships
  • Sustainable funding
  • Comfortable, safe and secure facilities for all programs

Our Values

  • Literacy as a means for life-long learning and leadership development
  • Inclusion and accessibility to learning for all individuals
  • Strengthening communications and bonds among cultures and ethnic groups through respect and learning
  • Partnerships and collaborations that promote literacy
  • Integration of technology, best practices and innovative learning systems
  • The judicious and prudent use of human and fiscal resources to achieve agency mission

Our Programs

See an overview of our core and auxiliary programs, or click on the links below to learn about individual programs:

Our History

The Durham Literacy Center (formerly known as the Durham County Literacy Council) was established in 1985 by a small but committed group of volunteers as a non-profit, community-based organization to address the overwhelming literacy needs of Durham County. By actively monitoring and assessing Durham’s continuously changing community, the DLC has evolved from a small organization to a pivotal provider of educational services for those most in need: adults who lack basic literacy skills, recent immigrants, and out-of-school teenagers.

Over the last 25 years, a small but dedicated staff has roughly 2,000 volunteer tutors who have educated more than 12,000 Durham residents. Each year, more than 500 DLC students improve the quality of their lives through instruction in reading and writing, as well as in workplace, computer, financial, and health literacy.

The DLC is a non-governmental agency, deriving more than 70 percent of its funding from private sources. The DLC has received numerous local, state and national awards for its innovative programs.

The DLC currently manages literacy programs at seven different locations around Durham County, including the Durham County Libraries, the Family Center of Northern Durham, and temporary classroom spaces at Lakewood Baptist Church and the John Avery Boys and Girls Club. In 2006, mold-related health risks forced the DLC to leave its home at 1410 W. Chapel Hill St. We are currently seeking a permanent home for our administrative offices, training facilities, and primary classrooms.