Community: Loudoun Literacy Council

Loudoun Literacy Council: Enriching Lives and Community

The Loudoun Literacy Council has been changing lives in Loudoun County for over 40 years.

The Loudoun Literacy Council is a non-profit organization that teaches English and provides communication skills to adults and children, in partnership with many organizations, including the Loudoun County Public Library, the Loudoun County Health Department, and Loudoun County Public Schools. They also partner with other nonprofits, like Loudoun Hunger Relief.

”We are in constant partnership with a number of other organizations all to be able to come together to serve the needs of our students,” said Nikki Daruwala, the Executive Director of the Loudoun Literacy Council.

Ms. Daruwala oversees the many events and programs that the LLC hosts, including it’s Favorite Book Friday, which encourages people to think about a selected book shared by the Loudoun Literacy Council; another popular program is Read Across Loudoun, when people record themselves reading a book and the recording can be shared to families with younger children.

“As Executive Director, I have the absolute honor and the absolute privilege to lead a team of fantastic dedicated volunteers and staff that then provide the programs that we are able to do in the community,” shared Ms. Daruwala. “So, for me, it’s about how we are able to resource our organization, whether it’s people or financial support. This allows us to be able to do really important and critical work in the community.”

For adults, the Loudoun Literacy Council provides classes via Zoom. They also offer training and tutorials to help people who may not know how to get onto electronic platforms.

“We’ve been able to provide one-on-one attention through a variety of different media, whether it’s texting, or picking up the phone and having phone conversations with our students. There are several methods we use to be able to stay in touch and be able to support them,” explained Ms. Daruwala.

The Loudoun Literacy Council has provided books to children served on a monthly basis in Head Start and STEP programs. These preschool programs are run by Loudoun County Public Schools to help children prepare for kindergarten.

For new parents, the Loudoun Literacy Council provides baby book bundles, which are several board books. These could be bilingual books which enable a parent who speaks a language other than English to read in a language they are familiar with. Parents and guardians can learn English side by side as they read to their child.

”Most of a child’s early learning happens really early on and so it’s extremely important that children are read to at a very early age,” Ms. Daruwala stressed.

The Loudoun Literacy Council has responded to COVID-19 by hosting programs and events over Zoom, as well as smaller in-person events with masks and social distancing.

“Since COVID-19, the Loudoun Literacy Council has distributed over 16,000 books in the community, with the hopes that children would continue to read” Ms. Daruwala said.

Prior to the pandemic, the Loudoun Literacy Council hosted Family Literacy Nights, where families and their children come in person. The Loudoun Literacy Council would provide a meal for them, along with “edutainment,” which is educational entertainment. Additionally, the Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts would lead programs that included drumming, reading and acting out a book, or participatory reading and learning.

Because of COVID-19, the LLC has been hosting Family Literacy Nights online with Zoom.

“We continue to remain concerned about the effects of COVID on a widening education gap,” affirmed Ms. Daruwala. “We really truly believe that the work that we do is not in isolation. We have it ingrained in our business model. And our work model is a partnership ethic.”

Ms. Daruwala says clients may also have food insecurity. A partnership with Loudoun Hunger Relief and over 2 dozen other area non-profits allows the Loudoun Litearcy Council to provide food services to clients during these unprecedented times.

The Loudoun Literacy Council is truly passionate about this work. Ms. Daruwala mentioned, ”Our immigrant population and communities in Loudoun bring cultural heritage and enrich the fabric of Loudon in such a tremendous way, that we want to be able to help them have a voice, a seat at the table, and be able to vocalize, communicate and participate fully and wholly in what makes Loudon such a beautiful place to live, work, and play.”

When asked what she would say to everyone in Loudoun County regarding the importance of learning and reading, Ms. Daruwala said, ”In a world full of information, literacy is a basic skill. So think about it. We live in a world that is constantly communicating, whether it’s written, whether it’s verbal, you are always communicating. And if you don’t have the literacy skills that you need, you are left behind. And for us, that is not an acceptable thing. So in a world full of information, literacy is the most basic survival skill.”

Article by Ebaadah Martina-Jaka, Photo courtesy of Nikki Daruwala.

Community & Business Corner

Beginning in the month of May, the Loudoun Literacy Council is providing an 8-week English class through their Jobsite Literacy Program for employees at You’ve Got Maids .The class meets one evening each week via Zoom. Curriculum is customized for employees and incorporates vocabulary and terminology pertinent to their profession.

Natasha Magrath, owner of You’ve Got Maids of Northern Virginia sees this program as a stepping-stone for employees. She hopes this program will motivate them to continue with their own educational, professional and personal goals. As an immigrant herself, Natasha knows firsthand the challenges of living and working in community that speaks only English. She credits her language training with helping her to achieve her goals, and finds it deeply rewarding to share that opportunity with her employees.

“By giving my team the best training and tools available, including enhancing their English language skills, I feel we are setting them up for not only advancement at You’ve Got Maids, but opportunities to thrive outside of work,” said Magrath. “We have a wonderfully diverse team of cleaning professionals at You’ve Got Maids, and I want them all to have the same opportunities for advancement. By giving them these extra tools, we are giving them a gift they will be able to take with them forever.”

The Jobsite Literacy Program helps employees improve their skills, confidence, and productivity which, in turn, benefits the employer and the community at-large. It’s a win-win-win situation for all,” stated Nikki Daruwala, Executive Director, Loudoun Literacy Council. The Loudoun Literacy Council has been providing literacy services for 41 years.