National Institute for Literacy

The National Institute for Literacy announces the re-launch of the America's Literacy Directory Website with new features and enhanced functionality that will enable end-users access to over five thousand Adult Education and Family Literacy service providers, Learning Disabilities and After School Programs.

America's Literacy Directory (ALD) is a national directory of literacy service providers available via the Internet and the National Institute for Literacy's toll-free number. The ALD connects employers, learners, volunteers, social service agencies, and others to current information about literacy service providers in all 50 states and the U.S. territories. For additional information on the ALD, see Frequently Asked Questions

ALD re-launches its website with more features, new capabilities and faster search results for finding local programs near you.

Washington, DC; September 8, 2004 - The National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) announced today the launch of the newly redesigned website offering end-users an upgraded experience to quickly find reading, writing, math, English as a Second Language, skills assessment, basic technology skills, learning disability contacts, volunteer opportunities and much, much more.

ALD users can access a more powerful and functionally enhanced website at www.literacydirectory.org immediately to begin searching for a literacy program near you.

For general users

Learners of all ages will have increased access to information about literacy and after school programs
- To get help for: Reading, Writing, Math, Homework.
- To get information about GED programs and test centers.
- To get information about Learning Disabilities and English as a second Language programs.
Employers will have the capability to locate basic skills program for their employees.
Access to more volunteer opportunity types.

For local literacy service providers

Ability to update, change or add program information.
New section that includes Programs for Employers.

For state/ organizations

Ability to control and manage service providers within state, including:
- Ability to approve new programs and update program information.
- Capability to retrieve data as an Excel report for targeted mail merges or for use with multiple program levels or print service provider directory.
- Ability to add State-defined customized fields.
Sophisticated user management tool to delegate tasks to multiple administrator levels or other types of administrators, as needed.
Automated address validation to verify data.

The Making of the New and Improved ALD
Eight states participated in the ALD pilot project: Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. The pilot programs assisted in testing various administrative levels and provided insights in making the interface user-friendly. Pilot project participants provided invaluable input and ideas in helping to make the new ALD efficient and useful for states.

Throughout this process, representatives from the US Department of Labor and the US Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education have helped in ensuring the effectiveness of the new features of ALD for all types of service providers, programs and state offices.

About America's Literacy Directory
The ALD is a service of the National Institute for Literacy and its partners: the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), and Verizon. A variety of national, state, and local literacy organizations contribute data to the ALD and help to keep the information up to date.

ALD is also a partner of Labor's CareerOneStop web portal. The COS portal provides user access to a suite of Web-based tools including America's Job Bank, America's Career InfoNet (ACINet), and America's Service Locator (ASL). Each product offers a unique solution to the increasing demands of today's labor market to meet the specialized needs of job seekers, employers, and workforce development professionals.

The National Institute for Literacy's defining responsibility has been to provide the information, resources, and support that would lead to stronger and more effective literacy programs. Most of NIFL's funds support programs and services designed to improve the quality of literacy programs nationwide.