Ayer Elementary School & Butler Church: How the Partnership Began
Since she was a little girl, Debra Brensinger has loved reading. Under the protection of her covers, she would squint her eyes as she read late into the night.
Several decades later, Debra was looking for ways to be more involved in her local community. When Debra heard about Every Neighborhood Partnership’s Literacy Mentoring program, she knew she wanted to serve as a mentor. Sharing her passion for reading by teaching elementary students literacy skills seemed like the perfect way to invest in her neighborhood.
But Debra didn’t stop there.
She set up a meeting with the leaders of Butler Church, the church she regularly attends, and asked if they wanted to get involved in supporting Ayer Elementary School as an entire church. Pastor Jim Holm and his wife Shirley were enthusiastically supportive. Together, they rallied 17 Butler Church volunteers to serve as literacy mentors.
Butler Church has now partnered with Ayer Elementary in Southeast Fresno for five years.
“[The literacy mentors from Butler Church] are the most wonderful people who give their time freely to serve our students,” says Jennifer Ward, a first grade teacher at Ayer Elementary School. “Their impact is great.”
The Impact of a Church-School Partnership
According to a 2022 Go Public Schools report, only two out of ten children in Fresno Unified School District are reading at grade level.
Only two out of ten children in Fresno Unified School District are reading at grade level.
“Imagine the impact that has on society,” says Debra. “[But] if you’re educating kids at a young age, they’re more likely not to drop out of school and they’re more likely to feel like they have something to offer.”
According to the California Department of Education, almost 90% of students attending Ayer Elementary School are socioeconomically disadvantaged. About 22% of students are English learners.
The reading skills students develop in first grade have a significant impact on their self esteem, social skills, and future academic success. One way Every Neighborhood Partnership’s Literacy Mentors track reading progress in students is by measuring their ability to read high frequency words. High frequency words are words used frequently in literature such as “the” and “of.” Most of the words in early readers’ texts are high frequency words. If readers know them, they can more easily breeze through sentences and spend energy on decoding more difficult words and comprehension!
In September 2021, first grade students at Ayer elementary held an average knowledge of 22 high frequency words. By the end of the school year, Ayer first graders knew an average of 144 high frequency words!
“Ayer Elementary School had one of the highest scores [in high frequency words] of all of our school sites,” says Jenessa Cheema, Every Neighborhood Partnership’s School Support Director. “I really believe this is because of the relationships that have been built.”
“Ayer Elementary School had one of the highest scores [in high frequency words] of all of our school sites.
I really believe this is because of the relationships that have been built.”
Jenessa Cheema, ENP School Support Director
How can your church “adopt” a local elementary school?
“Find people in your church who are interested and help them see why it matters!” says Debra.
If you are willing to build excitement among your church members and connect them with Every Neighborhood Partnership, we will take care of the logistics! There are so many creative ways your church can support the students and teachers at your local elementary school.
Partnership can range from blessing the staff with an appreciation event every other semester to providing weekly volunteers to be literacy mentors.
“As a former teacher myself, I know how much pressure is put on the education system to be the way out of hard situations for kids,” says Jenessa. “Schools are full of great people doing great things, but they can’t do it alone. That’s why it’s so important for churches to adopt the local schools in their neighborhood.”
Churches, you are vital community partners. As we build bridges between the body of Christ and local schools, we believe we will see all pillars of influence in our community actively engaged, our students excel, our residents healthy and whole, and our neighborhoods thrive.
Email andrew@everyneighborhood.org today if you are interested in initiating a church-school partnership!
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