When we embarked on this semester, I had an idea of how Literacy Mentoring might work virtually, but honestly, I was skeptical. However as the first semester came to a close, floods of sweet stories came pouring in. The overall theme is relationships. Literacy Mentoring 2020: light on the literacy, double dose of mentoring.
We want to support those of you who are trying to navigate a new “homeschool” reality, while still juggling work and all of your other responsibilities…bless your heart. Whew.
Below are some of the most useful reading websites and resources we’ve found, feel free to share!
Hoping we all come out of this a little more well-read 🙂
Hi, Jenessa Hefler from ENP here! Coming to you virtually from my very yellow kitchen. I hope you all are staying safe and connected in these unprecedented times. In light of our schools being closed and many parents and kids at home trying to navigate a new homeschool life, we wanted to make our Literacy Mentor (LM) materials free and easily accessible to you.
ENP was birthed out of a church-school partnership which is why most people only know of ENP through church connections. But did you know that ENP also has the unique opportunity to impact our next generation of leaders through partnerships with Fresno State and Fresno City? Getting our college students involved on local elementary school campuses not only furthers our elementary students’ growth, but it also impacts the future careers, hearts, and direction of our young adult leaders.
Every Neighborhood Partnership is partnering with the Luis Palau National group to create a six-month series that describes our work in the city. Below is the fourth post in the series from our Literacy Mentor Director, Jenessa Hefler.
Last month, Brian Semsem broke down fun and play, ENP’s recreation and resilience building programs. This month we will look at literacy and a child’s pathway to success. Our goal to see every 3rd Grader reading at grade level.
One of the biggest challenges for low-income families with regard to literacy is the lack of access to books in the household.
61% of low-income families have no books at all in their homes for their children. That includes children and adult books! What we know is that the only measure that correlates significantly with reading scores is the number of books in the home. An analysis of a national dataset of nearly 100,000 United States school children found that access to printed materials—not poverty—is the “critical variable affecting reading acquisition.”
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss
Wouldn’t you love to be a part of a child’s path to reading?
ENP is on a mission to establish 30 new classrooms with Literacy Mentors this semester, opening more doors for volunteers to help students develop critical reading skills, and most importantly, a love for books and learning.
Would you consider being a part of our “For The Love of Literacy” campaign?
We gathered on Saturday, January 6th to celebrate our Literacy Mentors and kick off the new semester.
It was a bit disheartening to see a recent article in the Fresno Bee sharing the Nation’s Report card putting Fresno Unified “near rock bottom”. We can talk for days about the problems, the issues, the reasons, and it’s easy to point fingers and cast blame. But you know what they say: “When you point a finger at others, four fingers are pointing back at you.” Actually, I believe they are pointing back at ALL of us, because we all have the opportunity to be part of the solution. So let’s talk about what you can do to help increase literacy, and the fulfillment that can be found in helping a child learn to read.
The Little Free Library network in Shafter (15 miles northwest of Bakersfield, CA) has blossomed to include 22 libraries scattered around town. These libraries are an intentional effort on the part of both public and private entities. These entities want to increase book access and literacy rates in their community. Read our previous blog about them here.
About a year ago, my family made the decision to place a Little Free Library in our front yard. As stewards, we fill our box with books and watch with joy as they leave in the hands of our neighbors.
We leave sidewalk chalk in our box and regularly find pictures and thank you notes from those who visit. These messages always brighten our day!
A few months after we installed our library one of our 3rd-grade neighbor boys ran to our house after realizing he was locked out of his. He had no way to get in and was very concerned.
