West Loop is home to a funky central hub for literacy efforts

The literacy stats for Chicago are dire.

According to the Chicago Literacy Alliance (CLA), 30 percent of the population has low basic literacy skills; 39 percent of public school children read below their grade levels, and 61 percent of low-income homes have no children’s books in them. Mediating that and bringing the city to 100-percent functional literacy is the goal of CLA and its more than 135 member organizations, from the AARP to Young Chicago Authors, that serve an estimated 18 million Chicagoans.

But no matter how dedicated the volunteers and exciting the programs, running organizations is expensive, in terms of finances – office space does not come cheap in Chicago – and other resources. Five years ago, CLA decided to make life easier for literacy organizations by instituting the Literacenter.

Erin McCann, community director for the the Literacenter

The Literacenter is a collective space where literacy organizations can use office space – some have dedicated space, some float, some just pop by for events – and cross paths with others who are also fighting the good fight.

“A group of executive directors from several literacy organizations got together for lunch to kind of compare notes and realized that they were all working in Schiller Elementary School,” Erin McCann, the Literacenter’s community director, told West Loop News. “They just didn't know that the others were working there because they were working in isolation. And that was just kind of the ‘aha’ moment.”

The group began looking for shared space and, five years later, the Literacenter offers 51,000 square feet of office space, meeting rooms, private study cartels, open lounges, a kitchen and other amenities, including scooters to get around in the massive space. Groups can use it to run their organization’s office, hold workshops and trainings, network with colleagues and even hold parties.

“The members range everywhere from early childhood education, adult literacy, teacher training. Basically, anybody that is involved in contributing to making Chicago a 100-percent literate city, we want them involved in this conversation, and with the space to serve whatever needs they have to make that possible,” McCann said.

One big need is to save money. For example, one organization estimates that having a permanent dedicated space at the Literacenter lowered its operating costs by the 85 percent.

“This allowed them to not just double the size of their programming, but also to add new kinds of classes,” McCann said, adding that some of the non-traditional offerings include summertime storytelling and a citizenship class.

The Litacenter, located at 641 W. Lake St., is within a few blocks from almost all public transportation. It offers three tiers of membership and is open to any organization that has reading, writing, book distribution or other literacy-related activities as all or part of their mission. 

Those who are curious can come down to a monthly “Confab” and meet members and staff, or visit the CLA for more information.