Free Reading Lessons for Children
Donation protected
The Literacy Crisis in America
Reading is such an important skill in a child’s life. When children don’t learn how to read, the life-long consequences are many: low self-esteem, depression, school drop-out, poverty, just to name a few.
I became aware of the literacy crisis in America a couple of years ago. I learned that, despite the billions of tax dollars spent on trying to improve reading in our schools, children are not learning how to read. In fact, according to the most recent test results released by NAEP, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation Report Card, one third of fourth graders in America does not know how to read, and two-thirds of fourth and eighth graders cannot read at a proficient level.
The Need for Intervention
I am a teacher and I am passionate about reading and about teaching children to read. So, about a year ago, I decided to offer reading classes to children in my community. I began teaching two group classes, one for preschoolers and one for elementary students at our local community center. Teaching these classes has been very rewarding for me and I feel I have been making a difference in the lives of my students. However, it concerns me the fact that I cannot offer enough help to those who are already falling behind in school and are in need of individual instruction. In fact, they are the ones who need the most help because they are at risk of never learning to read well and become proficient readers.
Free Reading Lessons On Demand
That’s why I came up with the idea of creating a space, a sort of a reading lab, where children in the community can come anytime and get free individualized reading instruction. After a quick assessment to see where the child is at, we give her the instruction she needs and the access to the lab, where she will be able to practice with a number of hands-on reading games and activities. We will further support the child by providing practice worksheets that she can do at home. As part of this initiative, we will recruit and train volunteers from our community and specially from the early childhood department of our local community colleges.
What will we use your donations for?
I have invested hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours buying and preparing reading materials. I also have small tables, chairs, and lots of shelves to store the materials. However, I do not have the space. While I dream of finding an organization in the area willing to host the reading lab for free, I am hoping this fundraising will help cover the cost of renting an office room in Orange County, California, and also the cost of recruiting and training volunteers.
Reading Lab
· Rental: $18,000
Cost of recruiting volunteers
· Flyers and Misc. advertising: $800
· Gas: $200
Cost of training volunteers: $2,500
Insurance $500
Total: $22,000
I believe this project will benefit many children in our community, and I appreciate your help in making it a reality
Reading is such an important skill in a child’s life. When children don’t learn how to read, the life-long consequences are many: low self-esteem, depression, school drop-out, poverty, just to name a few.
I became aware of the literacy crisis in America a couple of years ago. I learned that, despite the billions of tax dollars spent on trying to improve reading in our schools, children are not learning how to read. In fact, according to the most recent test results released by NAEP, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation Report Card, one third of fourth graders in America does not know how to read, and two-thirds of fourth and eighth graders cannot read at a proficient level.
The Need for Intervention
I am a teacher and I am passionate about reading and about teaching children to read. So, about a year ago, I decided to offer reading classes to children in my community. I began teaching two group classes, one for preschoolers and one for elementary students at our local community center. Teaching these classes has been very rewarding for me and I feel I have been making a difference in the lives of my students. However, it concerns me the fact that I cannot offer enough help to those who are already falling behind in school and are in need of individual instruction. In fact, they are the ones who need the most help because they are at risk of never learning to read well and become proficient readers.
Free Reading Lessons On Demand
That’s why I came up with the idea of creating a space, a sort of a reading lab, where children in the community can come anytime and get free individualized reading instruction. After a quick assessment to see where the child is at, we give her the instruction she needs and the access to the lab, where she will be able to practice with a number of hands-on reading games and activities. We will further support the child by providing practice worksheets that she can do at home. As part of this initiative, we will recruit and train volunteers from our community and specially from the early childhood department of our local community colleges.
What will we use your donations for?
I have invested hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours buying and preparing reading materials. I also have small tables, chairs, and lots of shelves to store the materials. However, I do not have the space. While I dream of finding an organization in the area willing to host the reading lab for free, I am hoping this fundraising will help cover the cost of renting an office room in Orange County, California, and also the cost of recruiting and training volunteers.
Reading Lab
· Rental: $18,000
Cost of recruiting volunteers
· Flyers and Misc. advertising: $800
· Gas: $200
Cost of training volunteers: $2,500
Insurance $500
Total: $22,000
I believe this project will benefit many children in our community, and I appreciate your help in making it a reality
Organizer
Naynara Tangeland
Organizer
Costa Mesa, CA