VMLC was founded in 1997 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization by the members of Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church to address the critical need for English literacy classes for non-English speaking adults in the Vickery Meadow area of Dallas. This area is an extremely high-density, low income neighborhood bounded by Royal Lane, North Central Expressway, Northwest Highway, and Abrams/Skillman.

Initially, our program consisted of a handful of enthusiastic volunteers who taught English classes in various neighborhood locations. In 1999, we acquired property in the heart of the neighborhood, enabling us to offer more classes at more times and provide free childcare for the daytime students. The Early Childhood Education Program was established in 2003 in response to the alarming lack of quality educational opportunities for young children in Vickery Meadow. We also expanded our adult program to include four levels of English literacy and Pre-GED classes, as well as one-on-one tutoring for GED and Citizenship test preparation.

Since 2003, VMLC has focused on program growth as part of our strategic plan, and we have steadily grown the program and facilities to capacity in Vickery Meadow. In 2007, VMLC began to explore the possibility of opening a satellite campus in West Dallas, where the need for English literacy services has been great for many years. In January 2009, VMLC opened its doors to the West Dallas community at the former home of The Trinity River Mission, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational support to K-12 children.

Today, VMLC serves approximately 725 adult students and 165 young children each year in both Vickery Meadow (75231) and West Dallas (75212). Approximately 200 compassionate and dedicated volunteers, who provide respect, support and encouragement to the students, teach all adult classes, work in the computer lab, assist in the office and support the children’s program. As demand for English literacy and early childhood education services continues to soar, VMLC will strive to address this critical community need.

Demographics of Our Students:  VMLC serves the Vickery Meadow neighborhood located in Dallas, TX in the 75231 zip code, and the West Dallas neighborhood in the 75212 zip code. These neighborhoods primarily consist of low-income residents, most of whom are immigrants and refugees.

How We Help: VMLC understands the difficulty many non-native English speakers have in finding the time, transportation, money or childcare they need in order to attend most English language classes in the Dallas area.

Our program removes barriers to learning English by offering:

1. Classes in a variety of proficiency levels, at a variety of times, FREE of charge

2. A location in a neighborhood of great need where our adult and child students live

3. A FREE Early Childhood Education Program for the young children of our adult daytime students

Today, we teach English language skills to 725 adult students and 165 young children in the course of a year.  The ability to continue increasing our services to the community is attributed to the vision and dedication of our Board of Directors and our incredible volunteers, who are the heart and soul of the VMLC. Volunteers teach all of our adult classes and thereby touch our students' lives on a daily basis. Currently, we have more than 200 weekly volunteers.