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A landmark $2.5M federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education has been awarded to Clifford Beers Community Care Center in partnership with New Haven Public Schools and fourteen community organizations (including New Haven Reads) to form the Grand Avenue Learning Corridor Partnership.

 

The announcement took place on January 29. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, and New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker joined Superintendent of New Haven Public Schools, Dr. Madeline Negrón, several New Haven Alders, and representatives of Clifford Beers, NHR and other partners joined together for a press conference to talk about this terrific opportunity.

 

The grant will implement the Full-Service Community Schools Model and focuses on two schools: Fair Haven School and Family Academy of Multilingual Exploration (FAME Academy). The goal is to build strong academic foundations; cultivate students’ health, and mental health, improve stability and a healthy learning environment; facilitate accessible and culturally affirming programs, services and resources; and support ongoing school improvement. These wrap-around services and activities will include literacy interventions from New Haven Reads at Fair Haven School.

 

New Haven Reads Executive Director, Kirsten Levinsohn, said “New Haven Reads is thrilled to be part of this important effort in support of the Fair Haven School community. The power of a group of talented and passionate community members and organizations in conjunction with dedicated school personnel is formidable and boundless. We look forward to contributing to the long-term student success that this community work will bring.”

 

New Haven Reads is delighted to be one of the 14 community organizations and agencies in the Grand Avenue Learning Corridor Partnership. The others are: ARTE, Junta for Progressive Action, Catholic Charities of Centro San Jose, the New Haven Free Public Library, Fair Haven Community Health Care, the New Haven Federation of Teachers, United Way of Greater New Haven, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, the City of New Haven Youth and Recreation Department and Elderly Services Department, Dwight Hall at Yale, the City Wide Youth Coalition, and the Connecticut Violence Intervention Program.

 

 

Further reading: Clifford Beers Community Care Center Announcement, The New Haven Register, watch the video from WTNH, and read more in the New Haven Independent.


Join us to share the joy and power of reading with local students!

New Haven Reads provides free one-on-one tutoring for children who are aspiring readers. We also offer a free
Kindergarten and Pre-K program, and enrichment summer clubs. We serve students from across the Greater New
Haven area each week at four program sites. In addition, we also provide free, gently-used books to the public,
teachers, and community organizations through our community Book Bank.

Duties and Responsibilities for Summer Intern:

  • One-on-one tutoring of students grades 1st through 12th (primarily in reading) Planning and running summer enrichment clubs (e.g., Chess Club, Art Club, Book Club)
  • Supporting Site Staff in monitoring programs and tutoring pairs
  • General office and administrative work – e.g. data input, research, filing
  • Sorting and packing books for our Book Bank

 

Minimum Requirements:

  • Flexibility and patience
  • Experience tutoring or working with elementary and/or middle school students
  • Must be a rising college freshman with a high school G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher or a current
    college student with a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher

 

Desired:

  • Math or STEAM tutoring experience
  • Resident of New Haven
  • Fluent in Spanish

 

Training:
Interns will attend Orientation sessions as well as training in our NHR Program Model. Additional training will be
provided based upon placement at site (e.g., Book Bank).

Timing:
The internship will run for seven consecutive weeks starting on Monday, June 24th and ending on Friday, August9th. (New Haven Reads will be closed on Thursday, July 4th and Friday, July 5th.) The first week will be committed to orientation and training for a total of 20 hours. The remaining six weeks of the position will be 27 hours per week. During this time, we operate Monday through Wednesday from 2pm to 7:30pm and Thursday and Friday from 2pm to 6:30pm. Candidates must be available the entire 7 weeks if offered the position. Specific schedules and placements will be determined with individual applicants.

Pay Rate: $16.00/hour

To apply:
A completed NHR application should be emailed, along with a cover letter, resume, and most recent transcripts to hr@newhavenreads.org. Include “Summer 2024 Internship Application” in the subject line of your email. Six internships will be available. Only complete applications will be considered and qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview on a rolling basis until all positions are filled.

Final Application Deadline: Friday, March 29, 2024 by 5:00 pm

New Haven Reads is an equal opportunity employer.


We had a great turnout both online and in person for our recent Science of Reading training presented by Dr. Margie Gillis. Margie is the Founder and President of Literacy How.

Margie led an engaging training that provided insight into the science of reading and how we use it at New Haven Reads to support our students. She shared some of the latest research about how we learn to read and how structured literacy activities can be applied in tutoring.

The session was recorded and will be available in the next few weeks.

Below is a short list of resources below for anyone who may want to learn more about literacy in the US today.
Resources:
Below are a few links we suggest for your continued studies.
– The Right to Read film will be available for free all of February in celebration of Black History Month.
– Emily Hanford’s reporting on Literacy through American Public Radio is a wonderful place to get your bearings as well.
If you or someone you know would like to join our fight against illiteracy in the Greater New Haven area, please have them complete a Volunteer Application. We will be in touch with them within 48 hours.

Margie B. Gillis, Ed.D is a nationally recognized literacy expert and a Certified Academic Language Therapist who has been teaching children of all ages to read for over 40 years. She received her Doctorate of Education from the University of Louisville in Special Education. In 2009, Margie founded Literacy How, Inc. to provide professional development opportunities and coaching for teachers on how best to implement evidence-based reading practices in the classroom.


Volunteers are the heart and soul of New Haven Reads, and we are currently accepting new applications.

New Haven Reads is in need of volunteers to tutor our growing number of students. If you have been thinking about making a difference in our community, now is a great time! Tutor our students and make an impact on our amazing city. 

Tutors provide one-on-one reading instruction for students ages 6-18. You don’t need any prior experience teaching or working with children, just a love of reading and a desire to help a child succeed.

  • Time Commitment: One hour per week, Monday-Friday 3-6pm or Saturday 10-2pm.
  • Training: A one hour training session and a site orientation is required before your first session. You may also shadow a session, and in-depth trainings occur 3-4 times each year.
  • How to Apply: Submit our Volunteer Application and select “Tutoring” as your preferred volunteer area.

If you would like more information, please email Fernanda@test.newhavenreads.org.


Mike has been volunteering at Bristol Street’s Book Bank for over 10 years! No matter how
much time passes, Mike always carries the same passion for putting books into people’s hands
for free. He recalled a serendipitous moment during his time volunteering: one time, there was a
large donation of Spanish books—and on the next day, there was a book order for Spanish
books. He has been an avid fan of the fantasy genre since his childhood when his father would
buy books from estate sales, owning enough to have two layer deep bookshelves. One of his
favorite books as a child was Half Magic by Edward Eager, and some of his past favorites
include The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill and Black and Blue Magic by Zilpha Keatley Snyder.
Mike is also an avid fan of Isaac Asimov’s works. He also has the incredible talent of being able
to read Latin and ancient Greek!

 

If you would  like to learn more about volunteering at New Haven Reads, click here!


We are excited to announce that Spelling  Bee 11 is back in person! This year our Bee is being held on Friday, October 20th from 7:00pm – 9:00pm.

Teams of three compete for the legendary Bee Trophy!

Learn more about our Bee here!


None of this would be possible without our wonderful sponsors!

 


ATTENTION TEACHERS

2023-24 field trips are here! New Haven Reads offers field trips for Pre-K through 5th grade classes in the Greater New Haven area. Students will have an opportunity to choose 5 free books to take home and hear a story…or a few! We look forward to seeing you this school year!
To sign up go to: https://calendly.com/vsmith-5cg/field-trip find the date you would like, and sign up through the link.
If you have any questions, you can check out our FAQ: https://newhavenreads.org/programs/field-trips
or email books@test.newhavenreads.org

We can’t wait to see your class this school year!


Name: Margo Pedersen
Hometown: New Haven, CT
College and Major: Amherst College, Education Studies and Sociology
Tutoring Site: Bristol Street
Clubs: Finance 101 and Arts and Crafts
Favorite Childhood Book(s): Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech

Growing up in New Haven, New Haven Reads was something of a household name. I’ve had friends who were students here, friends who volunteered here, even friends who interned here. As an intern this summer, it’s finally my turn to join the New Haven Reads community, and I’m grateful to be able to play a small part in the organization’s dedicated service to the city.

I have loved my internship experience so far. At the beginning of every tutoring hour, a new group of students floods into the back room at Bristol Street, bringing excitement, nerves, and a healthy dose of chaotic energy into the space. With the support of dedicated staff and volunteers, everyone settles into their tutoring session or club, and the hour of learning begins. Each student has their own personality, interests, strengths, and a way of seeing the world that is entirely unique. I’m excited to be able to work with so many different students, and I feel I am learning as much from them as they are from me.

Though I’ve only been here for three short weeks, my highlight has been leading the Finance 101 club. When I was given this assignment at the beginning of the summer, I was a little nervous. I’m still learning finance myself–how could I possibly teach it to middle schoolers? But with plenty of support from my site staff and fellow intern, and a great group of kids, I soon learned that personal finance could actually be pretty fun. We’re working together on a real-world personal finance simulation, where students earn “paychecks,” pay bills, make purchases, and learn how to save their money to meet group and individual savings goals. The students have plenty of their own experiences and insights about money to share, and I love hearing what they have to say. For example, this week, we had a very spirited discussion about budgeting, where students debated whether certain purchases were needs, wants, or items for savings. “If you have a pet hamster, is hamster food a need or a want?” I asked them. “A need!” most responded, except for one student: “A want!” he said. “Because why did you need to buy a hamster in the first place?”

Whether I’m cashing checks with middle schoolers, helping students in Arts and Crafts club make their own beaded bracelets, or reading Elephant and Piggie in the silliest voice I can muster during the tutoring hour, it is always an honor to watch students’ confidence and skills blossom in such a warm, welcoming environment. I’m grateful to the New Haven Reads staff for their support and to the KeyBank Foundation for this incredible internship opportunity. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the summer!


Name: Nora Garcia
Hometown: Ecuador
College: University of New Haven
Major: Political Science
Tutoring Site:
Willow and Bristol
Favorite Childhood Book: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Ever since I was a young child, I have been driven by a deep passion for giving back to the community. This is one of the reasons why I chose to study political science. During my freshman year of college, I delved into various ways to make a positive impact on the world, such as through diplomacy, enhancing public policies, engaging with international organizations, and more. While I found these subjects fascinating, I yearned for tangible ways to create a better world, not just in a theoretical way. I understood the transformative power of public service in changing lives, which led me to pursue the University of New Haven Public Service Fellowship.

Within this fellowship, I was placed at New Haven Reads, an experience that has truly been one of the highlights of my life. Spending time with the children has brought me immense joy. Witnessing their progress in developing their reading skills is my favorite aspect of this work. Every day, I come home with a wide smile, knowing that I am not only contributing to their happiness, but also empowering them to succeed. Assisting children from diverse backgrounds and establishing connections with them is a remarkable experience. Their explanations of their cultures and traditions have broadened my understanding and appreciation of different ways of life. Encountering students who share my own background has been particularly heartwarming, as they are thrilled to find someone who understands their traditions.

One of my cherished memories involves spending quality time with a sweet little girl during our puzzle activity. She confided in me about her plans to organize a surprise party for her mom, expressing the difficulty of finding time away from her mom’s watchful eye. She asked me how I manage to have time without my mom, to which I replied that I don’t live with my mom anymore. Surprised, she exclaimed, “That’s incredible! I didn’t know girls could live alone.” After that she asked me how she can do that in the future, I encouraged her to work hard and become a strong, independent woman. From that moment on, she enthusiastically tackled her tasks, expressing her desire to be “a strong and independent woman” in the future.

Assisting these children in improving their reading skills and witnessing their personal growth each day brings me immense fulfillment. Working with these incredible students has had a profound impact on my life, and I firmly believe that I have played a role in positively transforming many lives. I’m positive I am already making this world a better place helping these students, because these kids are the future of our world.

 


We are excited to share that we will be working along with New Haven Public Schools and several other local organizations to help pilot the New Haven Tutoring Initiative. NHR will be providing the literacy education training, similar to our one-on-one tutoring,

In addition to New Haven Reads,  LEAP, the Boys and Girls Club, Horizons at the Foote, Inspired Communities, New Haven Counts, and New Hytes will all include tutoring in their programs.

To read more about this initiative and how you can be a part of it click here!