Written by: Isaiah Cunningham, NHR Tutor and intern.
Albertus Magnus College and New Haven Reads have combined forces for the betterment of younger students who seek improvement in their reading skills as well as to benefit Albertus students in their pursuit of and preparation for the workforce.
Albertus Magnus College and New Haven Reads have created a partnership that allows college students to intern in order to fulfill graduation requirements, as well as to gain experiences that will be very useful in the future. Tutor interns at New Haven Reads offer one-on-one reading instruction for students ages 6-18 to improve their reading skills. Student Interns find it rewarding to watch and support younger students to enhance their reading skills before your eyes. The internship also benefits the intern because it improves their social skills, leadership skills, and other skills to prepare them for the workforce after college.
“New Haven Reads has been an incredible experience,” says Isaiah Cunningham, a New Haven Reads tutor and intern who was recently hired. “I’m incredibly appreciative of this chance to assist younger learners who wish to improve their reading abilities,” he adds.
Isaiah sorting books at our Book Bank
Maryann Reid, the Financial Aid Operations Assistant at Albertus Magnus College, assists students who are looking for work study/internship opportunities. “When I present the opportunity the students are excited to tutor and work with younger students in the community,” explains Reid.
The Outreach Director at New Haven Reads, Fernanda Franco, who manages the interns from Albertus Magnus College values the goal of this partnership. “I love the idea of providing a safe place for students to grow into their best professional selves,” says Fernanda Franco. “New Haven Reads and Albertus Magnus partner in the hopes that we will provide just that,” explains Franco.
Please speak with your advisor if you are an Albertus Magnus student interested in becoming a tutor for the New Haven Reads organization and are enthusiastic about the concept of spreading the joy and power of reading every day as well as empowering aspiring readers to master the literacy skills needed to thrive in school and life.
Find out more about becoming a tutor by visiting the link below:
Shana
This summer New Haven Reads Summer Literacy Camp was full of learning and fun! With support from the Woman’s Seamen’s Friend’s Society of CT we were able to bring Mystic Aquarium to our Kindergarten and Pre-K camp five times this summer! Students learned about many aquatic animals including penguins, crabs, lobsters, snails, turtles and more. During each visit students learned about a specific animal and its habitat, while getting to touch various live animals! In addition, students brought home a brand new book each week that focused on a sea animal! 
graders worked on phonics, sight words, and comprehension each day, while focusing heavily on short vowels and decoding leveled text. While focusing on literacy, we also provided math instruction based on Common Core Kindergarten and 1st grade standards. We also included a variety of art projects and hands- on activities throughout the summer. 
This year we tested our campers in the beginning of camp to gauge their individual starting points and to tailor our instruction to their specific needs. In 5 short weeks, we saw improvement in 100% of our campers in one or more categories! Our rising first graders improved in letter recognition, phonetic spelling, short vowel sounds, consonant sounds, digraphs, and sight word knowledge. In addition, our rising first grade students collectively improved their score in phonetic spelling and short vowel sounds by more than 50%! 
