Tarrant County United Way has established the Tarrant Literacy Coalition with the help of almost 200 people from all sectors of the community. The Coalition is dedicated to advancing the ability of adults to read, write, speak compute and solve problems in English.

Literacy is essential for successful people, businesses and communities. Yet compared with 14 percent nationwide, 20 percent of Tarrant County’s adults—about 238,000—cannot read well enough to follow a bus schedule or read a simple story to their children. Locally, an additional 28 percent lack the skills to earn a meaningful wage.

Current literacy programs in Tarrant County serve fewer than four percent of the people who need them. The Tarrant Literacy Coalition is working to increase the quantity and quality of programs through increased funding, training and collaboration among literacy service providers, business leaders and elected officials.