Frequently asked questions about Level
We know you probably have questions about Level's prison education program. We have answers!
Enrolling In Level's Prison Education Program
What is Level?
Level is a popular prison education program that offers career training and personal development. Level has a unique approach that can reach nearly any person at any prison, even those in high security or solitary confinement. 5,482 people in prison have spent 66,350 hours using the Level program inside 975 prisons across the country.
How does Level work?
Level sends printed content packets - we call them guides - to people in prison across the country. Our guides are designed to pass the stringent restrictions applied to incoming mail at correctional facilities. People in prison can use our guides in their cells or in common areas. Each of our guides is designed to be a 10 hour study program about one topic. People complete our program at their own pace.
When a learner finishes a guide, they transfer their quiz answers onto a Completion Form and send it back to us. Our system registers their completion of that guide, creates a Certificate of Achievement, and then we send a new guide.
We have successfully been using this system across the country since 2022.
What educational and job training topics does Level have?
We create guides that focus on popular topics most highly requested by people in prison. Our content library is constantly expanding as we add new modules each year. Currently, we offer content on the following popular topics:
- Entrepreneurship
- Computer Science
- Internet Technology
- Food Safety
- Meditation
- Art
Does Level count for a reduced sentence?
Some people at some facilities have reported that they have been able to use their successful completion of Level guides for a reduced sentence. However, we can not and do not guarantee this.
Our goal is to create easy to access content that is most in demand by people in prison. Aligning our program to the varying requirements of state departments of corrections or the federal Bureau of Prisons would significantly increase the cost of our program. We may move in that direction in the future, but for now, we are focusing on low cost, widely accessible content that meets the needs of the people we serve.
How do I enroll someone in the Level prison education program?
You can enroll someone using this form! If you aren’t ready yet and still have questions, simply fill out the form and choose the “I have questions” option at the end. There will be a place for you to write out your questions and one of our staff members will contact you as soon as possible. Or, you can enroll right away if you are ready.
What does Level cost?
There is a one-time enrollment fee of $65 to cover the cost of printing and shipping our materials. This fee gives a learner lifetime access to our content library. Sponsors will not be charged again for future orders to their learner – this single investment secures a place in our program for as long as the learner wishes to participate.
How long does it take to send and receive content?
We typically send a newly enrolled learner’s first order within 1-3 business days. After that, recurring shipments happen 1-2 weeks after we receive a completion form. This longer time period happens because we send bulk shipments with the post office including delivery to hundreds of people to take advantage of nonprofit shipping rates with the post office. This keeps our - and your - costs down.
After shipments leave our office, they typically arrive at the prison mailroom in a week. Once a prison mailroom receives the shipment, it is up to their schedule when they deliver it.
We send automated messages - either by text message or email - each time a new shipment is sent to an enrolled learner.
How will I know when new content or certificates are sent?
We believe that the families of support on the outside - partners, parents, children, family members and friends - are an important part of the educational journeys of people in prison. Too often, incarcerated people are left alone and families of support on the outside don’t know what is going on. Level is working to change this.
We created an automated notification system that sends sponsors - that’s what we call people who enroll their loved ones in our program - a text message or email each time new content is sent and when we receive a Completion Form. We even include a link to the online certificate so that sponsors can download or print the certificate!
This way, supporters on the outside can be kept involved and included in the progress made by their loved ones on the inside.
How do the certificates work? Where and how are they recognized?
Level issues certificates to acknowledge completion of our guides. Our certificates are similar to those issued by online learning platforms like Udemy and Coursera. They are intended to acknowledge progress along an educational journey.
The certificates are delivered in paper form to the learner and in digital format on our website for friends, family and anyone else who would like to support a learner’s progress. Many people print and include these certificates in parole packets to display self-directed efforts towards self improvement and preparation for release. Level’s certificates do not count towards industry certifications or college credits. Doing so would significantly increase the cost of our program by thousands of dollars per module.
If a person in prison is moved, will Level send content to the new location?
Yes! We know that people in prison are moved between facilities. We have designed our program so that these moves do not interrupt the learning progress of anyone who uses the Level program. We look up where each learner is located before sending new content. This way, they and their sponsor never have to worry whether their latest guide is being mailed to the correct facility.