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ABOUT US

Here at The Butte Literacy Program, we see the value in everyone. We want to be a catalyst for positive change, and since our beginnings in 2000, we’ve been driven by the same ideas we initially founded our Non-Profit Organization upon: support, empowerment, and progress. Learn more about our mission, our vision, and how we go about making the changes we want to see.

About us

The Butte Literacy has been providing free, confidential tutoring for adult learners in Butte and the surrounding area since 1987. The tutors are all volunteers from the community.

What we offer:

Confidential, one-on-one tutoring…

For Personal Fulfillment:

● Reading, Vocabulary Development

● Writing (composition, grammar, spelling)

● Math

● Social Science: History, Geography, Economics

● Science

● Computer Literacy

● English language skills (ELS)

To earn a high school equivalency certificate through the HiSET program

● Pre-Testing to discover strengths and weaknesses in each academic area,

● On-line programs for individual practice,

● Practice on-line test taking, and

● General test taking technique

All students must be at least 18 years of age.

Why get a High School Diploma through the HiSET program?

For a person who does not have a high school diploma, many doors are closed. A non-high school graduate cannot enter the military or enroll in college or a trade school. But there are other reasons a High School equivalency certificate is important.

● Self-esteem

A student said, “How can I expect my son to believe me that it is important to stay in school? He knows I didn’t. And that is what he tells me all the time: you’d didn’t stay in high school so why should I ? If I can get a high school diploma, he can’t argue with me.”

● Income

- Students who attended more than 100 hours of instruction in an adult literacy program average $10,000 more in annual income. (www.proliteracy.org)

- Over a lifetime of work, , a person with a high school diploma or its equivalent will earn $280,000 more than a person who does not have one. (www.proliteracy.org)

● Community Involvement

Involvement in the local community, the state, and even the nation increases with a high school diploma.

- In 2016, 29.3% of the people who did not complete high school voted.

- In 2016, 47.4% of the people who earned a high school diploma voted.

- In 2016, 60.5% of people who completed some college voted. (U.S. Census Bureau)

Who can get a HiSET High School Certificate and what is it?

Anyone, eighteen years or older who did not complete high school is eligible to take the HiSET exam and earn a high school diploma that way.

Follow this link to the HiSET home page to learn more: https://hiset.ets.org/

You are Not Alone

Many famous people did not complete high school. Despite that, they moved forward with their lives and did go back to get their high school equivalency certificates. These are just a few of them: https://bestgedclasses.org/50-successful-people-ged/

Volunteer

Being a tutor for the Butte Literacy Program is a wonderful way to give back to the community and have a positive impact on another person’s life. Many people are held back from achieving personal goals because they do not have a high school diploma. As an

Education Tutor, you open the door for individuals to a world of possibilities and opportunities.

Anyone can be a tutor provided that he or she does have at least a high school diploma, is over the age of 19, and completes the on-line tutor training program.

There are monthly tutor meetings that allow tutors to share their experiences and techniques that work (and didn’t work) with students and learn about new materials and programs available for instruction.

Our vision

"Literacy allows men and women to deal critically with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of our world." --Paolo Freire, educator

We want to give adults the tools they need to change their own lives.

For one, the missing tool may be reading, and for another, math.

Some are looking only to discover the confidence instilled by a patient tutor willing to help them face and solve the problems presented by the world.

Communities with high levels of literacy are prosperous ones. They have higher rates of employment, more civic participation, and stronger schools.

But bolstering literacy is a puzzle that needs to be solved by our entire community. Our partners in Butte keep us working through donations of time, energy and money.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: I want to volunteer, but I have a really busy schedule. Can I still tutor?

Answer: Yes. Tutors work one-on-one with their students to arrange meeting times that are convenient for both of them. You can even set up a time outside of normal work hours, if that’s what works best for both of you.

Question: I’d like to volunteer but I don’t have a background in teaching and I haven’t been in school for years. Can I still tutor?

Answer: Yes. We rely on online programs and provide the support and guidance you need to help your students.

Question: Where do we meet for tutoring?

Answer: Most tutors and their students use the Butte-Silver Bow Public Library at 226 W Broadway St, Butte, MT 59701. The library often works well because of its many resources available to students and tutors, including books, teaching materials, and computers.

Question: What age groups do you tutor?

Answer: Tutors with the Butte Literacy Program will work with any adult over the age of 18.

Question: Is there an option for on-line tutoring?

Answer: Our tutors use a combination of online programs and in person meetings to help students reach goals. Each student and tutor can work together to customize their lessons.

Question: I have kids and I don’t have childcare available. Can they come with me to tutoring?

Answer: The Butte Public Library welcomes children and offers many resources for them to take advantage of. Provided your children won’t be too big of a distraction, they are welcome to join you.

Question: How much does tutoring cost?

Answer: It’s free!

Financial Support

A literate community is a prosperous one. The Butte Literacy Program, Inc. depends on grants and monetary donations to continue serving the community. We hope you’ll consider giving.

These are some of the ways you can support The Butte Literacy Program. Direct donation.

Envelopes are available for your convenience in the 2nd floor office in the library and in area funeral homes. You can make the donation for yourself, in honor of someone, or as a memorial to someone who has passed away.
Amazon Smile. When you make a purchase from Amazon using AmazonSmile, Amazon makes a donation to us. To use AmazonSmile follow these three easy steps:

1. Sign in to smile.amazon.com on your desktop or mobile phone browser.

2. Go to “My Account” from the navigation at the top of any page, and then select the option to add

our Charity.

3. Select Butte Literacy Program, Inc to support.

When you shop on AmazonSmile, you will see eligible products marked "Eligible for AmazonSmile donation" on their product detail pages on smile.amazon.com.