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Welcome to Vermont Adult Learning!

Vermont Adult Learning helps adult learners, ages 16 and older, acquire reading, writing, math, and computer skills to earn high school diplomas/GEDs. We teach English Language Learners skills to advance educationally and at work. We engage in workforce development. Our services are offered at no cost and are available in person and online. Text VAL to 833-900-0907 or contact a Learning Center nearest to you to learn more!

Note for in-person learning: We no longer require masks in our learning centers. Anyone at high risk or wishing to continue wearing a mask for other reasons is welcome to do so. We will continue to have masks available in our centers for those who need them.

Those who choose to wear a mask do so because it is a decision they have made for their health and safety. Vermont Adult Learning expects that decision to be respected. If you have concerns about your safety, please let us know so we can discuss options to address them.

Learning Matters Blog and VAL Updates

VAL Welcomes Summer Intern Sarah Plaut (6/8/2021) - Name: Sarah Plaut, Development & Communications Intern Excited About: Meeting some of VAL’s awesome students and teachers Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina College: Currently studying geography and political science at UVM Last Book Read: Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall Enjoys: Skiing, baking, hiking, and reading Work-Life Balance involves: Taking time for yourself whenever needed Quote: “I chose to intern with VAL because I felt like I would get amazing mentorship while getting to work with talented and dedicated students, teachers, and staff. VAL has already made me feel so welcome and excited to learn!”

Jeanette: I want to really prepare for my next job (5/27/2021) - Jeannette grew up in a suburb outside of Philadelphia. Although she earned her high school diploma, she recalls teachers lacking patience as she struggled to learn in spite of her dyslexia and ADHD. “Why couldn’t my teachers have taken a little extra time to explain things to me?” Jeanette wondered. Jeanette entered the workforce after graduation. She eventually moved to Vermont and worked in the food service industry. She currently lives in Rutland with her two children, ages 12 and 15. She had to leave her last job at McDonald’s because the harsh, bleach-based agents used to clean surfaces triggered…

Jessie: Appreciating the chance to learn about another’s life journey (5/20/2021) - Jessie, a highly valued VAL volunteer, lives on a farm in Cavendish, Vermont, with a menagerie of animals--horses, dogs, cats and chickens. She is married and the proud mother of two daughters, ages 11 and 19. Cavendish is worth a mention. This small town in Windsor County is where Russian dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn spent twenty years living in exile. The townspeople respected---and protected---the Nobel Laureate’s privacy as he wrote groundbreaking works about life in the Soviet Union. Cabot’s bucolic setting provided the peace and safety the former political prisoner and survivor of the Gulag needed to deeply engage his craft.…

Helping students see the “cool” parts of Math (5/13/2021) - Jay is someone at VAL who “wears a few different hats.” He started teaching geometry at VAL in the summer of 2015 and came on board as the math teacher for the Springfield center. Starting in 2018, Jay became the math teacher for both Windham and Windsor counties. Additionally, in 2019, he took on the role of a data specialist and within the last few months, he has also been the Center Coordinator for the Springfield center, the person organizing all technology accounts, and has been spearheading a project to organize information into a central database. Jay spent his undergraduate…

Rochelle: I just want to help other people in my situation (5/5/2021) - One of the first things you need to know about Rochelle is that she is a very dedicated mother. She is married and serves as her son’s primary caregiver and advocate. She is also a very dedicated student, working to earn her high school diploma. At 26, she aspires to a job in the medical field, possibly as a medical assistant. Rochelle grew up in Vermont and changed schools several times as her family moved around Chittenden County. She was attending Horizons, an alternative public high school program in Burlington, when she decided to leave at age 18. “I always…