Teen tutors who participated in our six-week Summer Leadership Academy have been sharing their perspectives about the experience and when they had an “ah-ha” learning moment about leadership, themselves, or their career goals.
Watch as April talks about the Summer Leadership Academy and when she, “…had my moment that, yes, this is what I’m going to do. I’m going to pursue this career.”
“I had the privilege of seeing April and our other teen tutors grow into such strong, confident, and fearless leaders during the Summer Leadership Academy,” shared Ashlea Jones, our Director of Tutoring Operations who oversees READ USA’s workforce development initiatives, logistics, and spearheaded the Summer Leadership Academy. “This was precisely the purpose behind the Summer Leadership Academy: to expose our teens to career opportunities and leadership experiences they’ve never had before that motivate them to learn and grow in new ways, and then apply those learnings and new skills to cultivating the future they want. The academy provided a renewed sense of hope for everyone involved.”
We are grateful to April for taking the time to share her thoughts and experiences with the Summer Leadership Academy and READ USA Literacy Tutoring!
If you’re inspired by April’s remarks, please share this video with your friends and colleagues! Supporting READ USA directly supports the teen tutors and elementary students that we work to uplift through literacy every day.
Your Plans for Saturday: Free Back-to-School Books & Supplies!
No matter where you live in Jacksonville – from the beaches or southside to downtown or the Historic Eastside – there is likely a Back-to-School event happening near YOU this Saturday, August 3rd!
Whichever event you visit for FREE back to school supplies and other family-fun activities, the READ USA team looks forward to seeing you – and giving FREE BOOKS for your children to take home and enjoy! What says “getting ready to go back to school” more than diving into a free, brand-new book!?
Check out some of these Back-to-School events this Saturday and be sure to visit our READ USA table!
1. Back-to-School with BEAM (Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry)
8 a.m. to 12 p.m. – *Registration required to secure a timeslot here.
Beach Church: 325 7th Avenue North, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
Families need to register for a time slot to attend. Students will receive new backpacks, grade-level school supplies, and will be able to select two new books from READ USA. More information here.
2. Back to School – Back to Wellness: Florida Blue Centers (Two Locations)
Class is almost in session and Florida Blue wants to help you be prepared! Join the FREE Back-to-School event on August 3 at your local Florida Blue Center. Enjoy an exciting morning of school supply giveaways (while supplies last), community resources, and the opportunity to learn more about member perks. This is a FREE family-friendly event full of fun!
Limit 3 backpacks per household. Parent or guardian must be present with child(ren).
👉St. Johns Town Center
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – RSVP requested here.
4855 Town Center Pkwy, Jacksonville, FL 32246
👉River City Marketplace
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – RSVP requested here.
13249 City Square Dr., Suite 103, Jacksonville, FL 32218
3. Historic Eastside Back-to-School Event
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Jacksonville Fairgrounds: 510 Fairground Place, Jacksonville, FL 32202
Join READ USA, Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ), and other community partners for a free back-to-school event! Receive free back-to-school supplies and other goodies and learn about unique opportunities at FSCJ and the college admissions process.
4. Greater Payne AME Back-to-School Event
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Greater Payne AME Church: 1230 Claudia Spencer St, Jacksonville, FL 32206
Receive free books and back-to-school supplies and enjoy some family-fun activities!
We’ll see you Saturday!
Three Cheers from… a Middle Schooler?
Last week, team READ USA kicked off a new series of Family Literacy Workshops – with more scheduled for next week!
Occurring at Jacksonville Public Library branch locations across Duval County, the workshops provide a hands-on learning experience for parents and caregivers to learn engaging ways to help children build their reading skills at home. We also provide free resources, reading activity guides, and of course, free books!
“The children are thrilled about the opportunity to choose free books to take home. The variety of genres available to them builds their excitement like nothing else – I even got some enthusiastic cheers from a middle schooler who was so happy and impressed with the variety! This is why choice is so important – it fuels passion and interest,” said Judy Howard, who oversees READ USA’s professional development and family-learning events.
“While the children who attend receive a unique experience, the workshops are focused on parents and caregivers – really anyone who provides care to children can benefit,” Judy added. “From the feedback we are receiving, attendees find the content to be meaningful. They come with the understanding of the importance of reading aloud. Whether they understand the difference between varying techniques or not, that doesn’t matter as much – what matters more is that they are interested in early childhood reading and writing. They understand the bigger picture and feel more empowered to try new things and practice at home. They also see that early literacy doesn’t need to be a task – it can be fun, too! They see that this is a fresh way of not just taking in information but also interacting with their loved ones.”
These workshops are FREE to attend and there are three more scheduled for next week. Many thanks to our wonderful partners at the Jacksonville Public Library and Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) Federal Programs for helping make these events possible!
Mark your calendars:
- Beaches Library: Monday, August 5, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Community Room
- University Park Library: Tuesday, August 6, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Conference Room 900
- Brentwood Library: Wednesday, August 7, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the Second Floor Meeting Space
To RSVP for a workshop, either scan the QR code below or click here:
Want to share this info with others? Download and share this flyer:
Last Call: “You’re actually changing a child’s life…”
Last call for teen (and young adult!) tutors who want to make a positive impact on the lives of elementary students!
Watch how “You’re actually changing a child’s life” here:
READ USA’s Literacy Tutoring kicks off in August at 15 Duval County elementary schools, providing vital literacy instruction to elementary students and giving teens and young adults the opportunity to earn a $15/hour wage.
How Literacy Tutoring Works:
Teen tutors are trained how to use pre-written lesson plans to deliver high-quality reading lessons to help elementary students improve their literacy skills. READ USA provides extensive training, onboarding, on-site support, and resources to teen tutors. Tutors have one-on-one access to supervising teachers during all tutoring sessions, who oversee, coach, and guide tutors in lesson delivery.
Who We Want:
- Teens and young adults aged 16-22
- Teens with the ability to work Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays every week from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. from August to December
Teen Tutors Can Expect:
- $15/hour for 9 hours of work per week
- Free transportation (based on need) to and from the selected elementary school
- To participate in two onboarding and training sessions (Part 1 and 2 are required, and tutors are paid for the training sessions). Training sessions are available:
- August 2, 3, and 4 (Part 1)
- August 9, 10, and 11 (Part 2)
- August 17 (Part 1) and 18 (Part 2)
- August 24 (Part 1) and 25 (Part 2)
- To pass a national Level II background check and drug screen
Children’s Book: G is for Gold Medal: An Olympics Alphabet by Brad Herzog
Illustrated by Doug Bowles
The Olympic Games are always exciting and filled with fun learning opportunities. They are a great way for children to experience various cultures and countries around the world and to celebrate athletic accomplishments of all kinds. The 2024 Summer Olympic Games runs July 26 – August 11, 2024, in Paris, France.
In honor of the event, we want to introduce you to an enjoyable book, G is for Gold Medal: An Olympics Alphabet, to help you introduce your child to the history and traditions of the Olympics as well as some inspiring Olympic athletes.
From the first games held in ancient Greece to the cultural extravaganza of this year, there have been some incredible and amazing events and milestones in the world of Olympic sports. In G is for Gold Medal: An Olympics Alphabet, writer Brad Herzog highlights those athletes and events that not only set sports records, but also impacted history and world views.
Beginning with A for Ancient Greece and Athens, this book offers a patchwork of images and information explaining how the modern Olympics began and spotlighting outstanding athletes, memorable moments, and traditions such as the torch relay. This informational alphabet book offers a large illustration on each page or spread, a rhymed verse for reading aloud to younger children, and paragraphs of small-print texts for older ones.
Learn the meaning behind the five interlocking rings featured on the Olympic flag. Cheer on American Jim Thorpe as he won the pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, only to lose his medals later. Read how the man dubbed as the “world’s laziest high jumper” won the gold in 1968 and later had a jump named after him. All these moments and more are brought to life in G is for Gold Medal: An Olympics Alphabet.
Submitted by Kathi Hart, READ USA Content Specialist
Parent Education Corner: Talk, Read, and Sing Together Every Day!
A language-rich environment is one in which children are surrounded by talking, singing, and reading, and have many opportunities to communicate with others and engage in back-and-forth conversations. A language-rich environment is important to children’s early learning and can have strong effects on vocabulary, reading, and math skills, as well as on children’s social and emotional development.
Research shows that some young children are exposed to more language in their homes, in early learning programs, and in school settings than other children. This difference in the number of words and back-and-forth conversations to which children are exposed is called the “word gap.”
The Parent Education Corner will cover several topics on creating a language-rich environment for your child that will help bridge the word gap. Last week we learned about Thick Conversations; this week our focus is on Engaging Children in Conversations. In future weeks we will review asking questions, expanding on children’s words, and using novel and interesting words. Come along as we support our children in being engaged learners!
Engaging Children in Conversations
Try these strategies to engage your child in rich conversations:
- Get down to the child’s level. Make eye contact.
- Tune in and listen to what the child says. If the child does not speak yet, tune into what they are doing or pointing to and use these moments to talk with them.
- Take turns talking. If the child doesn’t have language yet, that may mean you are talking and the child is communicating in nonverbal ways, such as through gestures, looks, smiles, babbles, and word approximations (children’s attempts at words).
- Think about what interests your child. Those are the topics that will be the most exciting to talk about. What places, people, toys, and/or activities are special for your child? What might your child have strong opinions about (foods they like or dislike, bedtime, the doctor)?
- Keep the conversation going using these phrases:
- I wonder…
- What do you notice…
- Tell me more about that…
- Add words or questions to what the child says or does and model new language.
- Give the child enough time to respond. For children who do not have language yet, this may be a nonverbal response, like a gesture or a look.
- Stay tuned in to the child’s facial and body expressions to make sure they are engaged.
- Most importantly, HAVE FUN!
Submitted by Kathi Hart, READ USA Content Specialist
Do you have any questions or ideas for the Parent Education Corner? Anything you’d like to learn? Let us know here!