Team READ USA was thankful for the opportunity to showcase our wonderful teen tutors, elementary students, and teachers at Lake Lucina Elementary last week!
READ USA is the largest AmeriCorps grantee in the state of Florida. Not only do our teen tutors receive their hourly pay and workforce development training from READ USA, but they also receive the benefits of AmeriCorps service. These include a living stipend, an education award upon completion of their service, as well as specialized training in citizenship, disaster preparation and response, CPR and first aid, and how to work with children who have critical needs, among other areas.
As an AmeriCorps grantee, we have the privilege of showcasing our Literacy Tutoring program to national and state AmeriCorps representatives! Last week, we hosted Steve Chapman, AmeriCorps Program Director for Volunteer Florida – which administers the national AmeriCorps program in the state – for a day-long visit. At Lake Lucina Elementary, Steve met one-to-one with our teachers and tutors and in a group setting, where he had the opportunity to hear directly from them about their service and the impact they are having on elementary students. Needless to say, it was a busy and highly productive visit!
Thank you to Steve Chapman for spending the day with us and to our teachers and teen tutors for making READ USA shine! We are always grateful for the opportunity to shine a spotlight on Literacy Tutoring!
The Importance of a Read Aloud – and More!
On Monday, READ USA’s Michael Ward & Jennifer Glock Literacy Institute hosted a parent literacy workshop to kick off Celebrate Reading Week, and what fun we had with the families who came!
Led by Judy Howard, M.Ed., Senior Director of the Michael Ward & Jennifer Glock Literacy Institute, led an engaging session addressing “Things Parents Need to Know” about early literacy at the Charles Webb Wesconnett Regional Library. (Did you know that Judy can do a fantastic British accent?!)
One of the main areas she addressed was the value and importance of doing read alouds with young children. “Reading aloud to your child is the #1 way to develop a love of reading,” shared Judy. “When you make reading aloud fun with sounds and actions, and you make it a part of your routine, you transmit a love of reading to your child – that and letting them see you read as well!” She also modeled for the room how to do an engaging read aloud using one of her favorite children’s books, The Rapping Princess.
Judy also addressed how the number of spoken words a child knows when they start kindergarten is a predictor of their future success in school and in life, referencing the “Million Word Gap.” Research has shown the different numbers of words kids will have heard based on how often parents read to them. For children who’ve never been read to, that number is around 4,600 words, while children who are read to daily have heard around 296,600 words – literally a quarter-million more!
Thank you to the Jacksonville Public Library for hosting us on Monday, and to the wonderful parents – and kids! – who joined us and asked fantastic questions!
READ USA Tutor and Student to Appear on Action News Jax
Tune-in to CBS47 and FOX30 on Monday, March 17th to see two wonderful young ladies discuss reading, building literacy skills, and READ USA!
Action News Jax Anchor Tenikka Hughes is producing a 30-minute special segment on literacy and will feature a variety of voices from across the community. Her segment will explore the challenges, successes, and local resources and programs dedicated to improving childhood literacy skills. The segment will coincide with Tenikka’s Books for Kids, her annual book drive held in partnership with the Jacksonville Public Library.
We cannot wait to see Teen Tutor Taylor and Student Raykeah on the big screen! They spoke so honestly during their interview with Tenikka, and we are excited to see Tenikka’s whole segment! Be sure to tune in!
We’re Getting Close – Are You In?
READ USA Book Fairs kick off in just a few weeks!
If you’ve never had the chance to experience a READ USA Book Fair as a volunteer, you’re missing out on one of the most fun volunteer activities in Jax! (That’s what some of our volunteers have shared, and we agree!)
Sign Up to Volunteer HERE!
Our volunteers are vital to the Book Fairs operating smoothly and successfully. Volunteers wear a signature red READ USA apron and can choose from a variety of activities:
- Helping students pick out their two free books and see their faces light up when they find “the ones” they want – and get to put their name in it! (THIS is what makes the Book Fairs so much fun!)
- Organizing books by age, genre, and other categories – it’s fun to organize and “play” with books, too!
- Book labeling and bagging
- Set-up and tear-down
- On- and off-site support (including administrative preparations, organizing fellow volunteers, etc.)
We look forward to seeing you at a Book Fair near you this Spring!
Sign Up to Volunteer HERE!
READ USA is a Top Workplace in Jax!
For the second year in a row, READ USA has been named a Top Workplace among Small Companies in Jacksonville! We ranked #6 out of 25 small-sized organizations, and we’re in great company: several other Northeast Florida nonprofit organizations also made the Top Workplaces list!
The fabulous news doesn’t stop there: We also received the Social Responsibility Award! We received this award because our, “…nonprofit organization specializes in the task of aiming to eliminate illiteracy in Duval County.” We are so grateful for this incredible recognition!
Based solely on employee feedback, the Top Workplaces are awarded by Energage, which crunches the data from employee survey responses that address factors including company direction, leadership, meaningfulness, appreciation, pay, and benefits. Energage has partnered with The Florida Times-Union for the past three years for the Top Workplace Awards.
Check out the full Top Workplaces list here.
Thank you to Energage and The Florida Times-Union for the opportunity to participate again this year, for your diligence in organizing all of that data, and for shining such a wonderful spotlight on READ USA and our team!
Most importantly, though, our gratitude goes to our team members – including our part-time teen tutors and teachers – whose daily efforts on the front lines of closing the literacy gap in Duval County are what make READ USA and our mission possible. THANK YOU for being a part of our team, and for submitting such honest – and positive! – feedback to the Energage survey! It is an honor to have all of you on Team READ USA!
Children’s Book: The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science by Joyce Sidman
Original illustrations by Maria Merian
Everyone knows that butterflies come from caterpillars, right?
Not in the 17th century, they didn’t. How would they have known? Caterpillars are small and their metamorphosis took place in hidden places. These “worms were considered pests, and no one connected them to beautiful butterflies.” Only a very sharp-eyed and persistent person would be able to uncover such an extraordinary process and only a person with artistic skill could document it in living color. That person was Maria Sibylla Merian, an artist at a time when women weren’t allowed to be. A scientist before there were scientists. An adventurer who journeyed far and wide in search of the truth of metamorphosis.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science is a nonfiction biography illustrated throughout with full-color original paintings by Merian herself. Author Joyce Sidman paints her own picture of one of the first female entomologists and a woman who flouted convention in the pursuit of knowledge and her passion for insects.
Submitted by Tabetha Cox, READ USA Chief Tutoring Officer
Parent Education Corner: The Importance of Nurturing Young Learners
A lot is happening in the lives of three- and four-year-old learners. In just a few short years, they have learned to walk, hold things, manipulate objects such as a fork and a cup, they’re learning to draw and write, and they notice patterns with conversations and try to join in. In addition, they learn to share and express emotions, and elicit responses from others. They even plead for and begin to argue to gain something they want. Most of the learning they’ve done so far hasn’t been from direct instruction by a teacher, but rather, through observing and experimenting with their environment. They’ll learn just the right way to satisfy their needs, but how far is too far?
The most important takeaway here is the importance of language. Everything “action” – how they play, how they communicate their needs, how they signify that it’s time to rest, etc. – this all begins with language. Language and play are the greatest tools for an early learner. Just as we discussed last week, play is essential to learning!
As a parent, you can help your little one develop their toolbox:
- Encourage your child to react to stories.
- Talk about what your child notices in nature.
- Help your child initiate dramatic play with friends (house, school, acting out a fairytale).
- Genuinely react to conversations and give your child something else to think about.
- Help your child learn the “rules” of conversation: listen, speak, ask questions, wait for a pause (take a turn to talk without interrupting).
- Help your child use manners: please, thank you, excuse me.
- Exchange screen time for book exploration, a walk around the block, drawing and writing, or a conversation about something interesting.
- Don’t compare your child to others. All children develop at a different pace and enter school with their own unique toolbox.
- Take your child’s progress day by day. Each day you work together to learn social rules and language rules, your child will become more familiar with language and play.
Submitted by Tabetha Cox, READ USA Chief Tutoring Officer
Do you have any questions or ideas for the Parent Education Corner? Anything you’d like to learn? Let us know here!