Our Vision
Metropolitan Oklahoma City is a fully literate community.
Our Mission
To lead a collaboration of literacy providers and supporters to strengthen services and present a united voice for literacy in Metropolitan Oklahoma City
Kris Steele and Andrew Rice at Network Provider meeting
Our Goals
To ensure that anyone who wants literacy services can access them
To ensure that literacy providers have the resources needed to provide the best possible services to learners
To bring the community together in order to present a united voice for literacy
Our Values
We believe that Metropolitan Oklahoma City can achieve 100% literacy.
We respect and learn from the experience of all segments of the community.
We believe in the wisdom of collective work and responsibility.
History of the Coalition
Oklahoma State Representatives David Perryman, Jason Nelson and Joe Dorman at D.E.A.R – April 2013
In 2006, concerned leaders from the Junior League of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City Community Foundation, United Way of Central Oklahoma, Community Literacy Centers, Inc., and R.S.V.P. (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) responded to increasingly low literacy levels in metropolitan Oklahoma City. They convened members of the community to discuss literacy problems and find solutions. Eight Task Forces were formed:
- Early Childhood/Family Literacy
- Evaluation/Accountability
- Curriculum/Best Practices
- Funding
- Enterprise resource planning
- Learner Retention and Recruitment
- Marketing
- Non-profit/ESL/Faith-based Organizations
- Workforce Partnerships
Members of the Task Forces had backgrounds in public service, social services, faith/religion, law enforcement, early childhood, education, and workforce investment. Each Task Force was chaired by a community leader and a literacy service provider. More than 80 people worked on the project.
The Task Forces worked for one year and determined that there needed to be a centralized communication/networking hub to bring together literacy services in the community. The Task Forces created a blueprint for increasing literacy levels and, to implement that blueprint, the Oklahoma City Metro Literacy Coalition was founded in June 2007.
Link to the Task Force’s Report on Status of Literacy in OKC.
