Business Spotlight
Top Floor Learning
This month we shine the spotlight on Top Floor Learning, a privately funded non-profit that has been helping others help themselves for 35 years with its Adult Basic Education programs. Top Floor Learning provides a wide range of personalized adult literacy programs and lifelong learning courses, workshops, and computer classes to the residents of the Quaboag Hills region and surrounding areas.
Tell us about yourself...
Donna Kimball I have been in non-traditional education most of my professional life, was once a tutor at Top Floor, became director here when we reopened after Covid.
Can you share some details about your business, how it started, what services you provide and what plans you have for the future?
Top Floor Learning was incorporated in October of 2003, building on the legacy of Literacy Volunteers of Quaboag Valley, which began as the adult literacy services in the Palmer library in 1978. Top Floor Learning is non-profit 501(c) 3 organization that is self-supporting.
We rely on private donations, fundraising and grants to support ourselves, as well as the work of our many volunteers, many whom have been with Top Floor for many years!
What drives you and your business to be better each day?
I have always wanted to help people learn, be it about history or a language. Many of our students here want to learn English, get their high school equivalency, learn how to use technology better: it is always a new challenge!
What do you want new and/or existing customers to know about you or your business that they might not know already?
Top Floor Learning is a hidden gem that many don’t know about. Being on the Top Floor of the Palmer Library, accessible by only the elevator(which also makes up handicap accessible) it is not the space you just wander into, we want it to become that! Come ask us a question about why that phone update made your phone act weirdly, how does your friend apply for citizenship, how does your nephew get his GED? Or just come up and say hi!
