Bradford Wyoming County Literacy Program

Bradford Wyoming County Literacy is a FREE rural adult education program offering services to populations within our community that are often underserved due to systemic discrimination.

BWCL believes all individuals deserve access to free education opportunities to build foundational skills that will ultimately lead to better home stability, gaining employment, increasing self reliance, and becoming active members of our community.

History

BWCL was started by a group of friends at the Bradford County Library in 1980. What once was a big dream to increase literacy skills in those around us; is now a stable reality staple for residents of our rural community. We are proud to be one of the few rural programs able to survive 46 years worth of hurdles and still operate with valuable in person instruction. In a world where personal connection is fading fast and being replaced with AI and online programs, BWCL still serves all of our individuals in person while working on individualized academic and functional skills.

What does a BWCL lesson look like?

Students are carefully paired with volunteer tutors in their communities. This prevents long commute times and transportation issues that are a substantial challenge in rural areas like Bradford and Wyoming counties. Students and tutors meet in a public location, such as a library, for their scheduled session weekly. Each tutor student pair work on precise academics such as increasing reading skills, building resumes, mock interviewing, and English language acquisition. Every student in the program identifies area of weakness in their ACTUAL lives and we teach skills they need to improve their real lives rather than generic impersonal instruction.

Trained tutors provide quality education to their students often filled with laughter, challenges, and support to encourage students to push outside of their comfort zone.

Pay it Forward program- students give back 

A unique part of BWCL is our student Pay it Forward program. This allows students to also give back to the community around them. Most of the students are serviced by volunteer tutors, trained by BWCL. To honor their tutors and show appreciation to the program, BWCL adult students gave back 24 volunteer hours in 2025. Some pick up trash at a local park, attend a community event, pack at local food banks, and more. This allows them to also give back to the community in a way that is functional for them.  We believe everyone can give back and get involved. Top to bottom; volunteerism and community is important to BWCL.